As part of the new expansion of this column that is now called “Voices from the Mideast”, we are happy to present an interview with Zeynep Atbasoglu conducted by Orly Shoshani, so we can all become familiar with the very special community of self psychology that operates in Turkey – The APPA (Anatolian Psychoanalytic Psychotherapies Association).

Below the interview you will find a brief history of the APPA as well as a short Bio of Zeynep.

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Orly: Reading the brief history of the Turkish Self Psychology Association – the APPA – and the interview that Annette Richard conducted with Allen Siegel who has been mentoring at your association since 1998, I understand that you have been practicing distance education with Allen long before the Covid 19 pandemic.
How did distance education affect the development of your association, its “culture,” etc.?

Zeynep: First, thank you very much, dear Orly. Thank you for helping us become more known and visible as APPA in the self psychology community with this interview. In fact, in our process that started with Allen and is still developing with his strong support and belief in us, I cannot afford to call the education we receive “distance education”. Although we were physically far from each other, it was a very close / in touch/ embodied education.

Allen did not only give us training, by phone and then via internet connections. In addition to regular distance training during the 8-year period between 1998 and 2006, Allen came to Turkey many times with his beloved Renee, once a year, sometimes twice a year. He has given numerous conferences, seminars and marathon trainings face to face. In the same period, he organized the Turkey visits of the giants of self psychology and trainings there; Goldbergs, Lichtenberg, Ornsteins, Solomons… Allen also established supervision groups of 3-4 people in 1999. Group members started to get supervision in subgroups via email. Group supervisors were Denise Davies, Connie Goldberg, Ruth Gruenthal, Sally Jenkins, Anna Ornstein, Allen Siegel, Renee Siegel, David Solomon, and Dori Sorter. It was an extraordinary opportunity and experience.

The so called “distance education” that Allen provided to us was very “close education” as there were volunteers to give and receive that training. It still is… The only problem was longing to hug each other, to be alive, mutual, eye to eye, body to body. And covid came upon us, the longing increased even more.

O. I also realized that you went through a significant crisis due to rules established by the International Psychoanalytic Association – the IPA – which based itself in Istanbul in 2004, forbidding IPA members to take part in any Self Psychology organization. This resulted in the departure of quite a few members. How did you overcome this long-lasting crisis?

Z. In 2005, when we were not an association yet, concussions and ruptures started in our group. On this date (2004) IPA came into play. This was a dazzling development in Turkey, where therapy training was very poor but only possible with personal effort. Until that time few people were willing to learn and teach psychoanalytic psychotherapy through their personal efforts. Maybe they never gave institutional training, but they tried to teach psychoanalysis wherever they could. They read, wrote, translated, gave training. It would be disloyal to pass on what I know without mentioning here; Leyla Zileli, Orhan Öztürk, Engin Geçtan, Cahit Ardalı, Ulviye Etaner, İskender Savaşir (my very dear cousin), Saffet Murat Tura, and I’m sure many others whose names I don’t know…

I think one of the reasons for the ruptures in 2005 was that classical orthodox psychoanalysis made an assertive introduction to Turkey and promised an international belonging and certification. Whereas self psychology didn’t promise prosperity or prestige, it didn’t even certify our education! Sensing/seeing the bottleneck in the process and the basic needs of the members, Allen arranged another education program in 2006; I’m sure it wasn’t easy for Allen to arrange this. The Institute for Psychoanalysis of Chicago has started a “two year course of study in psychoanalytic psychotherapy” distance learning program. It was a very structured, interactive, and intensive program. The members who participated in this training were composed of those who were deeply committed to self-psychology and wanted to continue their education and practice on this path. And those who received this training, training programs on the web, which can be considered the first examples of what we can do on Zoom, were just beginning. I cannot forget Allen’s excitement as we talked about this program on the internet and what a great opportunity it is for us. Well, in addition to the excellent training we will now receive from the Institute, we also would have a “certificate”. (carrot.)

Actually, the situation we were in was a matter of existence and non-existence. The fact that some founding and active members wanted to enter the IPA process and that their energies were not practically sufficient to deal with both areas deepened the crisis of the group. The founding person of the group Yavuz Erten (founder, handworker, promoter, organizer) and our hardworking association president Sibel Mercan and some other group members were leaving. Their departure deeply shook those who feel close to the self psychology approach, as they were very effective colleagues in the organization of the education and had high managerial skills. Oh my God, APPA was in danger of being shut down. We even had friends who suggested that the Association be abolished. In this process, we only came together at the general meetings of the Association. Between 2008 and 2010, educational activities came to a standstill; until our meeting at the first overseas annual IAPSP Congress in Antalya in 2010… Previously, the Center was always in Istanbul, and indeed, the friends who did not break their ties with APPA and put great effort in managerial work were also exhausted due to the intensity of the IPA processes. We were on the verge of a critical decision. As I said before, we were in danger of extinction. In this meeting, again with the great support of Allen, I, Neslihan Rugancı and Serpil Vargel made the decision not to close the association, but to move its center to Ankara, to restructure it, to start providing education, and we took responsibility for all these and the management of the association. I think I was the most passionate and eager about it. At this point, it would not be possible to pass without mentioning the dearest remarkable, extraordinary friend Serin Oget Meskill. Unfortunately, this loving, shining, humble friend passed away. She worked very selflessly in the operation of APPA in Istanbul. She undertook the secretariat of the entire Association. And then, she made great efforts to move the Association to Ankara and maintain its existence. She personally attended the founding meeting in Ankara. she organized the translation of Allen’s book, which is now in the final editorial editing process. In fact, she is still our main editor for us. She started it, but it didn’t last long enough for it to end.

O. And what has changed in your association following those events?

Z. It has changed a lot, it has become different. Well, it was a very new beginning. As educators, we had a great responsibility.

What has changed in our association; what hasn’t changed 😊 We started training in 2014.

A group culture has been created. The first two groups, who have completed their training in three and a half years, still continue to voluntarily participate in Allen’s monthly supervisions, our monthly case meetings, and supervision. So we all maintain our chronic student status.

We have now started to train the third group. We made the 20-session entrance program of the 3rd group during the pandemic period. We were a little worried before, because as a group we did not have the opportunity to meet face-to-face with most of the members. A group of 35 people formed. The number of people who wanted to receive training was even higher and we had to create a waiting list. In these introductory lessons, we use Allen Siegel’s book as the main resource and work line by line with our training group. Thank God it was a lively and productive process with active participation and everyone getting to know each other after 2-3 zoom sessions.

After we moved the association to Ankara and started providing training, a brief summary of what we did is in the “brief history of APPA”, so I won’t repeat it. Those who wish may want to take a look there too…

O. How would you characterize the current members of APPA?

Z. Good therapists in the 30-50 age range, all of whom are well trained. Persons dedicated to the profession. Some work in private practice, some in private psychiatry centers or public hospitals, some academicians, newly obtained or about to get their Phd, … brilliant therapists.

O. Do you find that your work in Turkey has unique characteristics, and if so, in what way? What differs APPA from other psychoanalytical organizations in Turkey?

Z. Our name is an association, but we have never had an institutional, expansion-oriented, advertising, polarizing attitude that excludes other approaches. I can define APPA as an amateur-spirited association that tries to do its job with professional knowledge and ethics.

O. What is APPA’s unique contribution to your country?

Z. To contribute to the development of good psychotherapists. To train therapists based on psychoanalytic self psychology in practice and/or using what they learned during this training process to enrich their own practices. The term “APPA’s unique contribution to your country” overwhelmed me. But I don’t know if there are any other associations/institutions/institutes that provide serious self-psychology-based psychotherapy training. No, I guess. So it would be unfair to ourselves to underestimate our contribution.

O. There are such training programs in the Israeli association as well, so it’s special to our region I guess.

Living in Turkey means living with crisis and traumas all the time. So we, the members of APPA, are being re-traumatized while doing our job. APPA like a supportive group therapy has helped us to deal with our ongoing traumas. Therefore, helping the brilliant therapists to help their patients is the unique contribution of APPA.

O. Your members’ publications are impressive. Can you talk about the nature and subjects of their writings?

Z. Our members have a wide range of studies and articles based on the self psychology perspective.
Mythological, experiential, case study, examination of interaction sequences in sessions, examination of cultural and sociopolitical features, etc.

O. In 2010 the IAPSP international conference was held in Anatolia. How did it influence your community?

Z. As I just mentioned, 2010 is the beginning of APPA’s rise from its ashes. And this decision was taken at the 2010 Antalya conference of IAPSP. This conference is a very important turning and starting point for us. On the other hand, it was of course very pleasing that the first non-US conference of IAPSP was held in Turkey. And many of our friends who could not attend international meetings due to economic reasons had the opportunity to attend.

O. Is there a unique application of Self-Psychology in Turkey?

Z. Outside of our clinical practice, I don’t know, and I guess, no. But I think that our geography and culture, that is, the embedded context, contribute to our self psychology based applications. Anatolia is a multicultural land, so it is possible to grasp every concept of Kohut in a completely different complexity here. In this regard, it may be good to look at the Turkey issue of Psychoanalytic Inquiry, which will hopefully be released in the near future. We are working on it.

O. Thank you, dear Zeynep, for enlightening us about APPA activities and experience in our shared column.

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Zeynep Atbasoglu is a psychiatrist and psychotherapist working in Ankara. She has been a student for 23 years and a teacher for 10 years in the field of self psychology. She has been teaching with her companions Neslihan Rugancı and Serpil Vargel. She is a founding member and current chair of APPA. She owes much of what she learned in her professional development to the generous teaching of Allen Siegel, who has been our teacher and mentor for 23 years.

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( http://www.anadoluppd.com/ )

The beginning of the journey as the Anatolian Group (APPG) (1998)

The process began when the first group leader and the founder of the Anatolian Group Yavuz Erten contacted Ernst Wolf, telling him about the needs of a group of psychotherapists in Turkey for psychoanalytic education. Wolf gave Allen Siegel’s name to the group leader and after Allen Siegel accepted the request, the Psychoanalytic Self Psychology journey of 35 psychotherapists in Turkey began.( https://iapsp.org/interview-with-allen-siegel/ ).

After a while the Anatolian Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Group grew to become an association. Group gained formal identity as APPA (Anatolian Psychoanalytic Psychotherapies Association) in 2004. In this process, past and current IAPSP presidents; namely Joe Lichtenberg, Jim Fosshage, Amy Aldridge, Estelle Shane, Shelley Doctors, Eldad Iddan, and in general the whole faculty of the IAPSP have given APPA invaluable and fruitful support.

Aims of APPA are presenting Psychoanalytic Self Psychology courses to mental health professionals, organizing seminars and symposia about self psychology and other psychoanalytic approaches, preparing clinical supervision and workshops, helping group members to gain internationally approved qualifications, publishing papers about psychoanalytic self psychology, initiating communication network with international organizations’ activities and providing information about membership process to international associations.

Brief History of Psychoanalytic Self Psychology in Turkey (namely APPA bound development)

• In October 1998 after a week of face-to-face education with Allen Siegel in Turkey, we continued meeting him on the phone once every six weeks on Sunday mornings till 2010.
• The education continued with video conferences and e-supervisions given by psychoanalysts from IAPSP. Allen and Renee Siegel came once or twice a year to Turkey for Psychoanalytic Self Psychology education. Allen Siegel has also arranged for visiting professors to come to Turkey, namely:
  Paul Ornstein
  Anna Ornstein
  Arnold Goldberg
  Connie Goldberg
  Joseph Lichtenberg
  David Solomon
  Brenda Solomon
  Ruth Gruenthal
  Chris Ioannidis
  Dorienne Sorter
  Marion Tolpin (through Skype)
• 2003- IAPSP Psychoanalytic Self Psychology Conference at Chicago (November 6-9, 2003).
  • Fifteen members of APPA were hosted by senior faculty members’ houses and in every day one conference was held by Arnold Goldberg; Ernst Wolf, Marianne Tolpin, Paul Ornstein, and Anna Ornstein.
    A paper : “Learning Self Psychology in Turkey” was presented in the Panel.
• 2004-2010. APPA faced many challenges.
  • In 2004, IPA (International Psychoanalytic Association) started to get organized officially in Turkey. Therapists willing to take classical drive-theory education became candidates for membership of IPA. İstanbul IPA’s strict rules of banning any connections with psychoanalytic self psychology, and finally, the decision of the founder and some executive members of APPA to fully engage in the group for classical psychoanalysis training brought APPA almost to a termination. Therefore, some members of the group chose to follow different approaches to psychotherapy, and stop to be active in the APPA.
    Very few members from İstanbul kept to be active in the association. Here we have to name Serin Oget our precious, generous person with grief whom we lost in 2015. Serin had the greatest effort to increase the ideal of the group and worked hard for this ideal.
  • In 2006, as a result of Allen Siegel’s enormous efforts, The Institute for Psychoanalysis of Chicago has started a “two year course of study in psychoanalytic psychotherapy” distance learning program for a group of 15 members. This was an enormously creative intervention to the oncoming crises and it helped to hold the rest of the members who insisted to stay in APPA.
  • First overseas conference of IAPSP was organized with IAPSP and APPA at Antalya, Turkey, 2010.
    • A panel organized around a case from Turkey by Göver Kazancıoğlu, moderated by Serin Oget, discussed by Eldad Iddan and Yavuz Erten.
      • Kozancıoğlu, G. F. (2012). An adolescent journey: Filling the void with sound. International Journal of Psychoanalytic Self Psychology, 7(2), 13-230.
    • Another paper was presented by Neslihan Ruganci in the International Panel moderated by Jim Fosshage in which John Ricker, Koichi Togashi also presented papers.
      • Rugancı, R. N. (2012). When the shadow of Turkish hero falls upon a child. International Journal of Psychoanalytic Self Psychology, 7(2), 249-263.
• In 2013. As a response to crises the localization of association has been transferred from İstanbul to Ankara with full support of Allen Siegel and Zeynep Atbaşoğlu.
• 2013-2021. Second Generation in Ankara; Rising from the Ashes, APPA has been growing and extending in terms of membership and National/international activities so far:
  Through Presentations and Contributions in Conferences, Congress or Symposia and Published or Unpublished studies and activities (in historical order):
  • Türkarslan, Kutlu K. & Canel-Çınarbaş, D. (in press). Akademik Erteleme Sorunlarının Psikanalitik Kendilik Psikolojisi Açısından İncelenmesi: Bir Vaka Çalışması. (Investigation of academic procrastination problems from the perspective of psychoanalytic self-psychology: A case study). Journal of Clinical Psychology Research. (Early Access), doi: https://doi.org/10.5455/kpd.26024438m000030.
  • Neslihan Rugancı- “First Carved-up, Later Reconstructed, Nonetheless Different from What She Had Before” (Discussion of Paolo Stramba-Badiale’s paper, “Hope and Uncertainty. The Subjective Experience of the Body During the Covid-19 Pandemic.”)(IAPSP Online Conference Series, Nov., 2020).
  • Bulbul, Banu & Rugancı, Neslihan (2020) “Mourning and Rage: The Shadow of the Never Commemorated” (Psychoanalytic Self Psychological Approach to Mourning), Journal of Turkish Medical Association, Community & Physician. V:35-4, pp.293-300.
  • Serpil Vargel, (interview, 2020). Understanding Self Psychology In the Framework of Idealized Parental Imago (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhdwqHikjoc).
  • Serpil Vargel, (Interview, 2020). Analyzing “Ahlat Ağacı” Movie (Turkey’s Candidate for 91th Oscar) in the framework of Narcissistic Development (https://youtu.be/BBQH9dbKH4Y).
  • Türkarslan, Kutlu K. (2020). Gilgamesh: The First Tragic Man. The Scandinavian Psychoanalytic Review, 43(1), 2-12. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/01062301.2020.1782703 .
  • Cihan, Burçin. (2019). EXPLORING IMPLICIT PROCESSES IN ADULT PSYCHOTHERAPY THROUGH MICRO ANALYSIS OF NONVERBAL SYNCHRONY. Unpublished Doctoral Thesis, METU, Ankara
  • Çevrim, Mustafa, (2019). Examination of a Therapy Process from an Intersubjective-Systems Theory (IST) Perspective. (Unpublished doctoral proficiency paper, Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara, Turkey).
  • Okay, Deniz (2019). A Case Formulation of Avoidant Personality based on Self Psychology Approach. (Unpublished doctoral proficiency paper, Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara, Turkey).
  • Neslihan Rugancı-paper presented, “To be or Not to be: Developing the Feeling of Existence/Self”, in Panel: Self Regulation, Resilience and Attachment in Suicide and Self-mutilation Behavior, 2019, Erciyes University.
  • Neslihan Rugancı-paper presented “Daphne; A Miracle Whose Tears Turned into a Waterfall in Anatolia” (Discussed by Hazel Ipp, 2018, IAPSP Vienna Conference).
  • Rugancı, R. Neslihan. (2018) BACKGROUND OF PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS OR DISORDERS: SELF AND AFFECT REGULATION), Clinics of Turkey: Adolescence and Psychological Disorders Special Issue: Invited Author, pp. 66-73.
  • Neslihan Rugancı, presentation of the similar paper (BACKGROUND OF PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS OR DISORDERS: SELF AND AFFECT REGULATION), 19th Adolescence Days, Inönü University, Malatya-Turkey.
  • Neslihan Rugancı-paper presented : “Therapeutic Approach to Affect Regulation Problems”, in the panel Psychotherapeutic Approaches to Anger/Aggression in Adolescence, 2017, 22nd Adolescence Days, Koç University, Istanbul.
  • Neslihan Rugancı, Dealing with the School System as a Self System: Interdisciplinary Approach to Preventive Psychological Health in the School., 20th Adolescence Days (Dec. 2015, Cyprus Medical Association).
  • Neslihan Rugancı-Discussion of the paper: “Feeling at Home, Belonging and Being Human: Kohut and Self Psychology” by Amanda Kottler (2014, IAPSP Conference in Jerusalem)
  • Neslihan Rugancı- member of the International Overseas Committee of IAPSP Jerusalem Conference (2013-2014).
  • Serpil Vargel- SelfObject and Adolescence, & Neslihan Rugancı- Self Dynamics in Adolescence, Panel : Self Development, Affect Regulation and related pathologies in Adolescent, 17th Adolescence Days,2013, 19 Mayıs University, Samsun- Turkey.
  • Neslihan Rugancı –Narcissistic States from Perfectionism to Psychosis, 16th Adolescence Days, 2011, North East Technical University, Trabzon-Turkey
  • Serin Öget – How Analysis Cure & Neslihan Rugancı- “Reconstructing the Functional Past”, Panel in 2. Işık Savaşır Symposium, 2004, Ankara.
• Through open seminars:
  (Ceren Göker was/is a translater of nearly all of the international seminars, Irem Yıldız and Deniz Yilmaz were/are translaters of the some of the activities).
  • Burçin Cihan & Jane Lewis (discussant) : “History Flows through Us” (referring to T. Kohut) : Describing influences of recent history of Turkey on individual’s subjectivity via analyzing the psychotherapy process with an Alevi patient from working class family (March, 2020)
  • Joe Lichtenberg : The Psychoanalysis of Human Experience and the Motivational Centrality of Seeking (Jan, 2019).
  • Neslihan Rugancı: Kohut and Psychoanalytic Self Psychology seminar in Middle East Technical University, Psychology Department (May, 2018)
  • Jane Lewis: Discussion of Two Cases Considering Psycho-Political Context (April, 2018)
  • Jackie Gotthold & Dori Sorter: Preventative Psychoanalytic Treatment? A Clinical Consideration of Systems of Pathological Accommodation (2017 )
  • İskender Savaşır & Zeynep Atbaşoğlu: Psychoanalysis and Family (2017)
  • Chris Ioannidis: Holistic and Binocular Perspective (March 2016)
  • Zeynep Atbaşoğlu, Neslihan Rugancı & Serpil Vargel: Introduction to Psychoanalytic Self Psychology (June 2016 & 2015)
  • İskender Savaşır & Zeynep Atbaşoğlu: Psychoanalytic Dream Study (January 2015)
  • Jane Lewis: Trauma and Its Restoration in Intersubjectivity Approach (April 2015)
  • Robert Benedetti: Lesbian Gay Bisexual Trans Queer Issues: A Self Pscyhology/Relational Perspective (June 2015)
  • Orhan Öztürk, İskenderSavaşır & ZeynepAtbaşoğlu: Psychoanalysis in Turkey as a Movement of Thought, as a Psychotherapy Practice, and as a Form of Organization (February 2014)
  • Neslihan Rugancı & Hüner Aydın: Intersubjectivity, Attachment and Becoming a Couple (April 2014)
  • Jane Lewis: Bodies in Dialogue: Empathic Connectedness in the Realm of Unspeakable (March, 2013)
  • NeslihanRugancı: Intersubjectivity: Infant Research and Treatment (May 2013)
  • Amanda Kottler: Current Thoughts about Particular Aspects of Twinship (June 2013)
  • ZeynepAtbaşoğlu: Heinz Kohut and Psychoanalytic Self Psychology: Basic Concepts (February 2013)
  • ZeynepAtbaşoğlu: Idealization from Self Psychology Perspective (April, 2012)
  • Neslihan Rugancı: Development and Reconstruction of Intersubjectivity (March, 2011).
• Through closed groups:
  • Introductory Self Psychology Education since 2013, (30 two-hour meetings for introductory Psychoanalytic Self Psychology, followed by Advanced Issues in Self Psychology with clinical papers 10 sessions) with 3 different groups (60 trainee in total) Trainers: Zeynep Atbaşoğlu, Neslihan Rugancı, Serpil Vargel.
  • Monthly Case presentations and discussions:
    • Şaziye Kazezoğlu Çevik (presenter) & Zeynep Atbaşoğlu (discussant) (Januray, 2021).
    • Kutlu K. Türkdoğan (presenter) & Burçin Cihan (Discussant) (February, 2021).
    • Monthly supervision sessions by Allen Siegel started in 2014 and extended with the integration of the group members who accomplished the Introductory training of Psychoanalytic Self Psychology.
    • Supervision by trainers; Neslihan Rugancı, Zeynep Atbaşoğlu and Serpil Vargel since 2014 (150 hours for each member who accomplished the Introductory training of Psychoanalytic Self Psychology.)
    • Psychoanalytic Theories: The aim was to provide the knowledge of Psychoanalytic Theories and Theorists.
      • Sigmund Freud – Zeynep Atbaşoğlu (Ekim 2019) & Allen Siegel (Kasım 2019-Ocak 2020)
      • Contemporary Freudians – Ülkü Gürışık (IPA Training Analyst) (February, 2020)
      • Ego Psychology – Füsun Çuhadaroğlu (Feb., 2020)
      • Klein, Fairbairn, Bowlby – Alexandar Dimitrejevic (CV) (March, 2020)
      • Winnicott, Bion, Ferenzci – Jane Lewis (CV) (April,-May, 2020)
      • From Classical to Self Psychology and to Relational Psychoanalysis: Passing through some Clinical Concepts – Yavuz Erten (June, 2020)