(Re)membering Christina Moutsou
Site member Christina Moutsou became unwell and died in December 2023. Her friend and colleague Salma Siddique, who presented a joint paper entitled Doing Anthropology in the Consulting Room with Christina at the Site conference on White Privilege, Racism and Psychoanalysis in October 2021, shares some memories of Christina in a tribute below.
In the quiet aftermath of loss, where words often falter and memories dance with the ephemeral, I try to shape a few words to capture the relationship with Christina – a guiding light, a fellow seeker of truth, and a cherished co-writer. Her unexpected departure from the physical tapestry of life leaves a void, profound in its silence, yet her voice continues to resonate within the legacy she leaves behind. We came together, both looking for a way of feeling less alone in the act of writing. Christina and I, at the cusp of a world on pause during the pandemic, our meetings in the ether – bi-weekly rituals of Skype calls – becoming anchor points in a sea of changing world around us. Our dialogue, a bridge between anthropology and psychoanalysis, rendered us cartographers of the human psyche, mapping the contours of understanding and emotion. Christina, with her gifted insight, had a unique propensity to entwine the threads of mythology with the fabric of psychoanalytic thought – an intellectual alchemy transforming the ancient and the modern into a tapestry rich with newfound meaning. This rare talent was a catalyst for our collaboration, a kinship of minds that yielded pathways into the depths of the soul, culminating in prolific pieces of writing that now echo as a testament to her brilliance. As her co-author, I marvelled at her ability to harness narrative potency, intertwining compassionate fictional elements with clinical realities, thus expanding the margins of psychoanalytic discourse. In the intimacy of encountering the couch – our shared sanctuary of thought – Christina embraced the relational model, creating a realm where reciprocal revelation flourished. In the wake of her absence, we are drawn to reflection, to the essence of mourning. The emotional investment we have placed in the lost, Christina teaches us, must be rerouted, seeking new connections while cherishing the old. Her intellectual vibrancy and experiential wisdom beckon us to find renewal in what she so passionately explored – the eternal dance between myth and mind.
Salma Siddique
Sitegeist: Call for writing
Sitegeist was founded with the intention of promoting varied, lively and creative approaches in writing to the questions facing psychoanalysis today.
On 30 September 2023 the Site for Contemporary Psychoanalysis held a 25th-anniversary event, Thresholds of Psychoanalysis, inviting participants to re-imagine and re-define the role of contemporary psychoanalysis. Issue 17 of Sitegeist will extend this conversation and is seeking journal contributions on new formations of psychoanalysis, its thresholds, margins and borders.
This could include, but is not limited to:
- The relation of psychoanalysis to contemporary discourses in ecology, feminism, race and the arts
- The practice of psychoanalysis outside the clinic
- The evolution of psychoanalytic praxis, ethics and institutions
We welcome original articles, reviews and creative works. If you wish to be part of this issue, please share your submission to the Sitegeist Editorial Team at sitegeist@the-site.org.uk.
Book reviews policy
Encouraging new thinking in psychoanalysis and philosophy is part of our remit, and we see reviewing new books in these fields as a crucial way to do this. Details of books for review should be sent to sitegeist@the-site.org.uk.
Autumn 2022
Undressing
Shanaya Rafaat leads a revolving cast reading James O’Neill’s remarkable book Undressing at the Shipwright theatre on Sunday 17 April. Further details and how to book can be found here – Undressing
When therapist-in-training James starts his placement at a therapy centre in west London, his first referral is Abraham, a silent and frightened young man in a tightly-zipped, hooded anorak.
Abraham hardly speaks. He barely sleeps. And he is too afraid to get undressed even in the shower. But Abraham wants to get undressed in front of James.
Over the many years they meet, Abraham’s unfolding story of abuse, violence and bravery inspire O’Neill to confront his own complicated past. Together they achieve something radical, as Abraham creates his own kind of therapy and teaches O’Neill to do the same.
“A remarkable story of what two people can do for each other if they can experiment with trust.” Adam Phillips
written by James O’Neill
directed by Daniel Raggett