Leading articles

THE VIENNA PSYCHOANALYST wants to give not only already internationally established psychoanalysts, but also still unknown psychoanalysts the opportunity to post a self-written and not yet published article on the FrontPage of our online magazine!

Our Users then can leave comments, ask questions or discuss the articles in our forum. Our aim is to provide an international platform where for the first time anyone interested in psychoanalysis can exchange ideas on certain topics.
Articles are welcome in German and/ or English.

If you are interested, please send your article to
leadingarticle@theviennapsychoanalyst.at


(For reasons of readability, the male form is used with personal names, however the female form is also always intended.)

In our interview series "in conversation with“, we will briefly present the authors of the leading articles. We want to give our users the opportunity to read the leading article from a different point of view.


This week we are very glad to welcome Christfried Tögel from Lausanne, Switzerland:



-) Born September 4, 1953 in Leipzig; since 1978 married to Prof. Dr. Dr. Ginka Tögel; one daughter.
-) Publications on the History of Science and Philosophy of Science, publisher of several editions of Sigmund Freud letters and author of several books on dream research and the Freud-biographical (translated in eight languages)
-) After his studies of clinical psychology at the Humboldt University of Berlin and his professional activity as a psychotherapist at the Charité psychiatric clinic, he received his doctorate in 1981 with the theme "The Dream. Historical, philosophical and empirical aspects about "(Humboldt University Berlin) Dr. phil.
-) In 1988 he habilitated with the thesis „Philosophische, historische und wissenschaftstheoretische Aspekte der Entstehung,         Entwicklung und Rezeption der klassischen Psychoanalyse” " (Humboldt University Berlin).
-) After several years at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in Sofia (Area Philosophy of Science and History of Science, most recently as Director of Research for the Institute of Philosophy) in 1989 Tögel went as a Humboldt-awardee to the Institute for History of Medicine in Tübingen (Director: Prof. Gerhard Fichtner), where he conducted research on the history of psychoanalysis and Freud-Biography.
-) He then supervised research projects for recording and digitizing the archives of the Freud museums in Vienna and London (1991 until 1994)
-) From 2000 to 2015, he directed the Sigmund Freud Centre in Uchtspringe / Magdeburg and was from 2003 to 2015 director of the SALUS-Institute (Magdeburg).
-) Between 1986 and 2015 he organized numerous exhibitions and conferences on "Freud" and "History of Psychoanalysis / Psychiatry".
-) Freud´s grandson Walter Freud said in 1999 about Christfried Tögel: "I do not know anybody who is better informed about the life of my grandfather, or who knows more about the Psychoanalytical development than he does. It is no exaggeration to say did he is a Freudian Encyclopaedia. "
-) Tögel was also committed with his friend Herbert Grönemeyer – who took over the patronage over the exhibition that was conceived by Tögel " Dämonen und Neuronen" the history of psychiatry - as part of an event series to eliminate prejudice against psychiatry.
-) For the ZDF series Giganten Tögel has scientifically overseen the film Sigmund Freud – Aufbruch in die Seele and accompanied the filming in London. The main role was played by Dietmar Schönherr.
-) Since 2015 Tögel lives in Lausanne in Switzerland.



DWP: DWP: What led you to deal with psychoanalysis, respectively with Freud and his achievements?

Christfried Tögel: I have a doctorate in dream research and one can not avoid Freud doing this. Furthermore, my father is psychotherapist, so that even as a child I repeatedly heard the name Freud and terms such as neurosis, repression, unconscious and resistance.


DWP: Have you ever undergone psychoanalysis?

Christfried Tögel: No. I studied psychology and philosophy and later habilitated in philosophy of science and history of science.


DWP: If you had the opportunity to talk with Sigmund Freud, what would be the topic?
Are there any specific questions?

Christfried Tögel: His opinion about modern neurosciences. A question could be whether if he had thought about modern psychiatric pharmaceuticals when he made the following remark in “An Outline of Psycho-analysis”:

“The future may teach us to exercise a direct influence, by means of particular chemical substances, on the amounts of energy and their distribution in the mental apparatus. It may be that there are other still undreamt-of possibilities of therapy… “


DWP: Fabric or leather couch?

Christfried Tögel: Freud had a carpet on his couch. Therefore for traditional reasons perhaps rather fabric.
 

DWP: According to Bruno Bettelheim and the importance of fairy tales in childhood. Will you tell us your favorite fairy tale? And do you see parallels to your own adult life?

Christfried Tögel: Cinderella. I love the happy ending - of course in my life too.


DWP: I dream,….

Christfried Tögel:... as often as every person. I only recall particularly memorable dreams which I then let my wife interpret for me.


DWP: What do you find good or particularly good in psychoanalysis and is there anything you do not like about it?

Christfried Tögel: 1923 Freud wrote:” Psycho-analysis is the name (1) of a procedure for the investigation of mental processes which are almost inaccessible in any other way, (2) of a method (based upon that investigation) for the treatment of neurotic disorders and (3) of a collection of psychological information obtained along those lines, which is gradually being accumulated into a new scientific discipline.
I am particularly interested in point 3. The development of Freud´s ideas in the first 20 years of his scientific career fascinates me: Who and what has influenced him why did he give up a topic and turned to a new one, were there contents and methodological breaks?
From Freud´s psychoanalytic theories and hypotheses I especially like his conception of Freudian slips.
I do not like that he held on to the inheritance of acquired characteristics.


DWP: Do you have a favorite Freud - quote?

Christfried Tögel: “The voice of the intellect is a soft one, but it does not rest till it has gained a hearing!” (The Future of an Illusion)


DWP:  Are there other psychoanalysts, in addition to Sigmund Freud, who you like to study?

Christfried Tögel: No.


Thank you very much for this conversation, we are already looking forward to your leading article!



Contact information of the author:
Christfried Tögel