A “flea in one’s ear”. An account of the Counter-Congress of the International Psychoanalytic Association of 1969 in Rome

Abstract

The history of the counter-congress of the International Psychoanalytic Association (IPA) of Rome in 1969, usually forgotten or repressed by official historiography, is reviewed. This protest was instigated because of the conservative structure of psychoanalytic training and associations. Today, these themes, after much delay, have even been officially dealt with by the IPA. In the final reflective passages, the formal training of psychoanalysts is strongly criticized, and alternative solutions are suggested.