EuroFederation of Psychoanalysis
The EuroFederation of Psychoanalysis (EFP; EuroFédération de Psychanalyse) is a federation of four European Lacanian psychoanalytic schools affiliated with the World Association of Psychoanalysis (WAP). Established in 2010 as a transformation of the European Federation of Schools of Psychoanalysis (FEEP), it coordinates institutional, training, and political activities among its member schools to address challenges facing psychoanalysis in the European Union, including health policies and the ideology of evaluation.[1][2]
| EuroFederation of Psychoanalysis | |
|---|---|
| Organization details | |
| Type | Federation of psychoanalytic schools |
| Founded | 2010 |
| Founder(s) | European School of Psychoanalysis (precursor) |
| Key figures | Jacques-Alain Miller |
| Orientation | Lacanian |
| Institutional context | |
| Predecessor | European School of Psychoanalysis (ESP); European Federation of Schools of Psychoanalysis (FEEP) |
| Affiliation | World Association of Psychoanalysis (WAP) |
| Relation to IPA | Independent |
| Operations | |
| Headquarters | Brussels, Belgium |
| Geographic scope | Europe |
| Training function | The Pass; Cartels; Seminars |
| Publications | PIPOL Congress proceedings |
| Website | https://www.europsychoanalysis.eu/ |
The EFP represents a key institutional development in the post-Lacanian psychoanalytic movement, emphasizing collective political engagement while preserving the singular enunciation of the analyst. It unites the École de la Cause freudienne (ECF), Escuela de Lacaniana de Psicoanálisis (ELP), School of the Freudian Letter (SLP), and New Lacanian School (NLS).[2][3]
History
Precursors and Origins
The EFP traces its origins to the European School of Psychoanalysis (ESP), founded in 1990 by Jacques-Alain Miller as the "European Other" of the École de la Cause freudienne (ECF). The ESP gathered Lacanian-oriented groups across Europe and beyond, anticipating the formation of the WAP in 1992.[1][3]
In 2008, the ESP restructured as the European Federation of Schools of Psychoanalysis (FEEP), incorporating the ECF alongside other WAP schools. This federation focused on coordinating resistance to EU health policies and evaluation ideologies affecting psychoanalysis, while handling matters like the pass.[1]
Founding (2010)
The transformation into the EuroFederation of Psychoanalysis was formalized in June 2010, following a meeting with Jacques-Alain Miller in preparation for the PIPOL 5 congress in Brussels. This shift responded to political realities impacting psychoanalysis externally (e.g., EU legislation) and internally (e.g., integrating the "Generation Forum" of politically committed newcomers to the ECF).[1][3] The EFP aimed to structure an existing European Lacanian work community, transcending national, linguistic, and school boundaries for symbolic coherence and effective action.[1]
The EFP has organized major congresses, such as PIPOL 8 and PIPOL 9, fostering exchanges among members.[4]
Organizational Structure
The EFP operates as a non-hierarchical federation of autonomous schools, reflecting Lacanian institutional innovations that avoid traditional power concentrations. It holds annual General Assemblies and coordinates through working groups and congresses.[2]
Governance
Governance emphasizes collective commitment and "demassification of enunciation," integrating established schools with forum-based newcomers. It functions as a "European signifier of psychoanalysis," facilitating political advocacy in the EU.[1]
Membership Categories
Membership is mediated through the four constituent schools (ECF, ELP, SLP, NLS), each employing Lacanian devices like Analyst Member of the School (AME) and Analyst of the School (AE).[1]
Formation of Analysts
Training in the EFP follows Lacanian protocols across its schools, prioritizing the "return to Freud" through the pass, cartels, and seminars.
Cartels
The EFP extensively uses the cartel, a Lacanian device of four members plus a "Plus-One," for non-hierarchical theoretical and clinical work, supplanting traditional master-disciple models.[1]
The Pass (Pase)
The pass is central: a former analysand presents testimony of their traversal of the fantasy to passeurs (two peers who have undergone the pass), evaluated by a jury. Successful cases nominate AE status, verifying the analyst's formation without institutional hierarchy.[1]
Seminars and Transmission
Formation involves four-times-weekly analysis, supervisions, and participation in the schools' seminar networks, emphasizing clinical work and Lacan's teachings.[3]
Key Concepts and Orientation
The EFP adheres to Jacques Lacan's orientation, prioritizing the "return to Freud," the Real, the Name-of-the-Father, and the sinthome. These inform its anti-evaluative stance, viewing psychoanalysis as incompatible with bureaucratic standardization, thus shaping its political federation model.[1]
Publications
The EFP produces proceedings from PIPOL congresses and supports school-specific journals, fostering European-wide Lacanian discourse.[3][4]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 "About - EuroFédération de Psychanalyse". Retrieved 2026-01-31.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "The World Association of Psychoanalysis - AMP". Retrieved 2026-01-31.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 "About us – Pipol9". Retrieved 2026-01-31.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "PIPOL 8 - 4th Congress of the EuroFederation of Psychoanalysis". Retrieved 2026-01-31.