By talking we understand each other. The phrase seems commonplace, but it may be deeper than you think. It is through conversation and real acceptance that it is possible not only to understand other people more, but also ourselves, our fears and suffering. It was thinking about offering an opportunity for those who have no one to talk to and expose their feelings and anxieties, and also about rethinking the role of psychoanalysts and their contributions in big cities, that the Coletivo was created Psychoanalysis Station, a project in which volunteer psychoanalysts provide free consultations every Saturday, at Culture Station from Campinas.
The idea came up last year, following contact from a group of researchers linked to the Institute of Language Studies (IEL) from Unicamp, which discussed psychoanalysis, with the Tykhe Association of Psychoanalysis from Campinas. Together, the groups put into practice a street psychoanalysis project, that is, a way for the psychoanalyst to work in the city's public spaces through psychoanalysis. Marta Ferreira, coordinator of Tykhe, explains that the action is not an adaptation of what is practiced in offices, or a by-product of assistance for low-income people, but rather a way for professionals to rethink their work and the role of psychoanalysis in the contemporary world . "What we do, which is street psychoanalysis, is another type of intervention. It is much more along the lines of occupying urban space like a street theater, there is a certain erasure of this place as rigid as the office, where the subject already arrives with an idea of who the psychoanalyst is, of what the relationship with the psychoanalyst is like, there is a whole script. And the street clinic is very radical in this aspect, because it is based on the word", argues Marta .
According to the group, working in public spaces is something that has existed since the beginning of psychoanalysis, but the practice is not widespread, even among professionals. In Brazil, names like Hélio Pellegrino e Jurandir Freire Costa brought important contributions to this perspective that deviates from the usual thinking about psychoanalysis. "These public clinic initiatives, for the most part, are thought of as a form of political intervention, based on psychoanalysis. It is worth thinking that the figure of the psychoanalyst in his private office, who receives people by appointment, is not the only model of psychoanalysis . It is a political intervention that also seeks to rescue in the history of psychoanalysis itself several other interventions of this type that leave the office model. Freud himself already did this", explains Lauro Baldini, professor at IEL and one of the participating psychoanalysts.
The collective holds free services every Saturday, from 9am to 12pm, at Estação Cultura. Volunteers rotate between Saturdays, always keeping around six professionals available for the service. Anyone interested can participate and it is not necessary to make an appointment in advance. The sessions are informal and last as long as people feel comfortable talking about themselves and their feelings. Marcos Barbai, researcher at Unicamp and psychoanalyst for the collective, shares that contact with people in public places is a way of valuing spaces that can serve as a meeting place between people. "This theoretical and political presence rekindled in me the flame of the city, it is the possibility of making a public investment in the city of Campinas. That is why the Estação Cultura was chosen, it is a political, symbolic, cultural facility, with great circulation. It is a possibility of, in this social and political moment in the country, listening to the city's population, making a bet on this population and being there to listen to their suffering", comments Marcos.
The importance of dialogue
There are many reasons why people seek collective care, but there is one motivation in common: anguish, which arises mainly from physical and psychological barriers created by society itself, which keep people away. This makes dialogue and the feeling of empathy and belonging to a community difficult. The increasing demands for efficiency, personal success and well-being also help to trigger a series of suffering in those who cannot find moments to vent. It is a scenario that has already attracted the attention of scholars, such as South Korean philosopher Byung-chul Han, author of the book "Society of Fatigue".
The current Brazilian scenario also does not contribute to people's mental health. The year 2019 ended with an unemployment rate of 11,2%, which represents 11,9 million people without work. The number of discouraged people, people who have no prospect of finding a job, is 4,6 million. In these situations, psychoanalysis can contribute precisely by offering an opportunity for people to let go of what takes away their peace. "Right now, in Brazil, we have a lot of unemployed people. So there are a lot of unemployed people, without work, who need to pay their bills, have a family. Because work gives us a place in the city. What is it like for you to find yourself absolutely devoid of that place? "Talking about your own work is also talking about yourself. So we have the possibility of embracing this suffering at this time for many unemployed Brazilians and the city of Campinas", analyzes Marcos.
Not even home and family have been spaces where people feel good. Due to polarization in politics, a search from Datafolha found that 27% of people moved away from family members and left WhatsApp groups due to differences of opinion. Marta comments that it is not necessary to go far to identify the borders created between people. "Segregation is discursive, so much of the suffering occurs because there is segregation within families themselves. It's the woman who can't talk to her husband, it's the daughter who can't tell her mother about her anguish, it's the older woman who cannot tell her family how worried she is about a series of things. This segregation, this barrier, permeates from top to bottom. It goes from official censorship, to censorship within the home and even within the individual who is ashamed of say certain things," he says.
That is why the essence of the collective's work is dialogue. Letting people talk about their problems and listening to them carefully is what makes the difference in the search for well-being. "People are very surprised. They don't suppose that what they experience, what they carry, could have any importance. The wall that we built in society is so big that people carry unspeakable suffering. There was a lady, I was even I was moved, because she took my hand and said: 'look, thank you very much!' I never imagined that I would stop to listen to a person like her, a housewife", comments Marta.
All in the same boat
Anyone who has experienced depression, or a period of greater emotional difficulty, knows that the idea that, to overcome these problems, you just need to want to is a fallacy. In addition to being serious issues that require professional monitoring, the factors that trigger anxiety, depression or even panic syndrome are centered on everyday social relationships and, therefore, harm everyone.
For this reason, by taking psychoanalysis to public spaces, the collective also seeks to raise awareness of the importance of the collective feeling, that everyone is responsible for everyone's well-being. "This resignification of public spaces that we do is an attempt to show that that suffering, that discomfort that the person reports is not individual, it is not their problem. It is a problem of the city, of how it is conceived, what are the city walls, how segregation occurs in the city. That is already a city, for people to be able to tell their sufferings and to be able to get out of this neoliberal discourse that your suffering is yours, it depends on what you are going to do, that you needs to be taken care of", says Lauro.
In addition to providing free consultations on Saturdays, the group also meets every two weeks to discuss cases and forms of action and also maintain the constant study of psychoanalysis. Between the 10th and 12th of June, they will also hold at Unicamp the "Meeting of Psychoanalysis Collectives", an event that aims to bring together groups from across the country who take dialogue and listening to the streets of large cities and who seek to contribute to people can find, in themselves and in others, more comfort and serenity.
