By Sharon Hendry /
1843 The Economist
What happens when psychoanalysis moves onto Zoom?
"Dr. Stephen Blumenthal normally takes a moment to gather his thoughts before inviting patients onto the blue leather couch in his consulting room in central London. Each consultation begins in the same way as it would have done a century ago when Sigmund Freud developed psychoanalysis. Patients are asked to say whatever comes into their heads. Blumenthal’s job is to listen and try to interpret what else may be going on in there, in what is referred to as the unconscious mind – ideas or thought processes that the individual may not even be aware of.
Now the couch lies empty. Since London locked down to stem the spread of covid-19 Blumenthal has turned to teletherapy, as many other psychotherapists have, tuning into the minds and dream-worlds of patients via Skype and Zoom. Video calling has changed the dynamic between analyst and patient. “There is an ever-present loss of what once was,” says Blumenthal, 53, who works both for the nhs and in private practice. “You were once two people in a room together. You can never reclaim this through technology.”
Image: matthew richardson / 1843 The Economist