In The Name of God
Subject: Complaint of holding two illegitimate congresses
Dear Minister of Health and Medical Education
Your Excellency Dr. Hashemi
With Salutations and Regards
Reverently, members of Freudian Association take your precious time in regard to two illegitimate congresses to inform you about the following points. The first congress was held on 11 to 13 of October [2014], named “The First Congress of Psychoanalysis and Dynamic Psychotherapy of Iran,” by the Iranian Psychiatric Association and Dr. Mohammad Sanati as the Scientific Secretary in the place of University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, and the second one entitled “Congress of Geographies of Psychoanalysis” on 16 to 17 of October [2014] by Mrs. Gohar Homayounpour with her own expense and without any association with any institution or organization in Iran at the international conference hall of the Pardisan Park [a governmental place].
To illustrate the matter, we should have the honor to introduce ourselves to you and then offer explanations about these two congresses.
1. “Association of communication with The World Association of Psychoanalysis” received its operating license in March 2007 from the Ministry of Interior of the Islamic Republic of Iran and after the approval of the Supervisory Board in August 2008 was renamed as The “Freudian Association” and registered with the [registration] number 23222, but the history of this association is older than this and the start of its existence dates back to 1993 by the arrival of Dr. Mitra Kadivar to Iran. Because she is the only Iranian Psychoanalyst who has membership of the World Association of Psychoanalysis (WAP)[1] and her resume[2] is available on the Freudian Association Website. On her arrival to Iran she delivered many lectures at various universities for several years and introduced psychoanalysis to the academic community. Then she proceeded to hold Freudian Field- Lacanian School classes and after that she held public lectures with the assistance of her students, the information of which is also available on Freudian Association Website in the “Freudian Thursdays” section (ibid). Since she is a prominent member of the World Association of Psychoanalysis she proceeded to train psychoanalyst in the country and at present four of her students and analysands are doing psychoanalysis in The Africa Psychoanalytic Center since a year ago and after being in analysis [by her] for about 10 years (Freudian Association Website) (ibid.). Also, since 2006 some of her students have got the permission of holding classes named “Introduction to Psychoanalysis” which is still ongoing (Freudian Association Website-Education) (ibid.). This is a summary of the way psychoanalysis in Iran has traversed within the last 20 years and with the endeavors of Dr. Kadivar and her students and Freudian Association.
2. The “Congress of Psychoanalysis and Dynamic Psychotherapy of Iran”, was held by the Iranian Psychiatric Association with the support of the Welfare Organization of the country, Social Security Organization, and The University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences with Dr. Mohammed Sanati as the scientific Secretary. It is not clear that what is the relevance of these institutions and organizations with psychoanalysis, especially [when] a non-governmental organization in charge of psychoanalysis [Freudian Association] exists in this country which has the operation permit from the Ministry of Interior and is registered. Dr.Sanati himself in his lecture on the second congress of psychotherapy (2013) has stated that: “… To solve this problem there is an association for each of these specialties in the countries of the world and in this way they supervise the attitude and ethics of [their] members”[3] so there is an association for everything that they do not interfere in each other’s work. Freudian Association is the association custodian of Psychoanalysis in Iran and Iranian Psychiatric Association, according to what is mentioned on its official website: “Iranian Psychiatric Association was founded in 1966 with the efforts of a handful of psychiatrists and psychiatric veterans of Iran with the aim of providing scientific, research and professional psychiatric activities and as a non-governmental, non-profit association… Iranian Psychiatric Association, beside establishing actively and effectively connection with Ministry of Health and Medical Sciences and The Islamic Republic of Iran Medical Council as two organizations active in guild and professional affairs of medicine, is in cooperation with other medical associations in addition to relevant organizations and institutions and also as an expert and consultant, announces its advisory opinion in the areas of education, research, therapy, guild [affairs] and new psychiatric drugs. “[4] So this association is qualified just in the field of psychiatry and nothing more. On the other hand, scientific secretary of this congress, Dr. Mohammad Sanati, associate professor of Tehran [University of] Medical Sciences has been working as a psychiatrist for up to 30 years at Tehran University of Medical Sciences in department of psychiatry while according to investigations conducted by this association he lacks the diploma of psychiatry and for many years in Dr.Sanati’s resume [published] on the official website of Tehran University of Medical Sciences the place where he obtained his specialty certificate in psychiatry was mentioned the “Faculty of Psychiatrists of University of England”(!) and the place where he obtained his fellowship of psychotherapy was mentioned “Faculty of psychiatry of London” (!)[5] (in the same year he got his diploma of psychiatry(!)). Of course after the beginning of inquiry of Freudian Association about his diploma –from 21st of October 2014– just after holding the” Congress of Psychoanalysis and Dynamic Psychotherapy of Iran” – the official site of Tehran University of Medical Sciences omitted his fellowship in psychotherapy from his resume and mentioned the place of issuance of his psychiatric diploma “Royal College of Psychiatrists of England”[6]. It is so while this college is a charity organization[7] which according to its response to our inquiry “[The Royal College of Psychiatry] does not give diplomas or degrees”[8]. The result of [our] investigations and inquiries will be presented to you in detail in the supplements of this letter. So, even in the date of writing this letter neither Dr. Sanati has provided any valid document about his claim of being a psychiatrist, nor Tehran University of Medical Sciences has provided any explanation about his diploma and the changes of his resume in the official site of this university. Meanwhile, Dr. Sanati included himself in the category of psychoanalysts of Iran and under this title he established [the title of] scientific secretary of the “First Congress of Psychoanalysis” for himself and also he resorted to train others in psychoanalysis from whom we should name Dr. Mahdieh Moein, who at present is Dr. Sanati’s wife and according to his training has become “analyst”!! It should be stressed that based on the essential principles of psychoanalysis, an “analyst” can never marry his/her “analysand” (patient), and this principle is inseparable part of psychoanalysis, so this issue is clearly explaining his ignorance of principles of psychoanalysis that he married his patient and introduces her as an analyst too. Moreover, it should be reminded that the name of Dr. Sanati is registered in none of the two worldwide organizations of psychoanalysis as a member (WAP: World Association of Psychoanalysis and IPA: International Psychoanalytical Association) and he is not a psychoanalyst! Yet and with reference to nonexistence of his college degree in specialty of psychotherapy, he calls himself psychoanalyst and attempts to train psychoanalyst. Let us refer you to two trustworthy reference in this connection: 1- in the editorial of Quarto bulletin of psychoanalysis number 107 published in the website of Echole de la Cause Freudienne of Paris on April 2014 under the title of “psychoanalysis is not psychotherapy” [9] it is mentioned that: “Psychoanalysis is not psychotherapy, although it does produce therapeutic effects, and it is distinguished from what some call “analytical psychotherapy“. Moreover, psychoanalysis cannot be subjected to any type of academic training. Before anything, the person him/herself should submit to it (or learning in that is performed through submitting to psychoanalysis.) In this sense, the psychoanalyst is the product of his/her own analysis when it [psychoanalysis] is brought to completion.”[10] 2- On 30th of January 2014[11] “in Belgium parliament psychoanalysis was recognized as a separate discipline from psychotherapies”[12] and its news was published in the newsletter of Echole de la Cause Freudienne of Paris in the aforementioned address. Meanwhile Dr. Sanati in cooperation with Iranian Psychiatric Association and just after obtaining the license of holding the courses of fellowship of psychotherapy from Ministry of Health and Medical Sciences attempts to hold congress of psychoanalysis and according to this he attempts not only to provide himself a psychoanalytic resume[13] but also to introduce psychoanalysis as absolute property of psychiatrists.
The considerable point is that there are many people that assume themselves as analysts referring to the training they have had by Dr. Sanati and launch practicing invalid psychoanalysis on others and numerous patients in the country, and since there is no supervision on non-methodical activity of these people, their inauthentic activities is being accounted for by psychoanalysis, while “Freudian Association” which is the only registered organization in the field of psychoanalysis in Iran which is a candidate for joining the “World Association of Psychoanalysis” (WAP), by presidency of the only psychoanalyst of Iran ,Dr. Mitra Kadivar, received its license from respectable Ministry of Interior. One of the statute aims of Freudian Association according to article no. 9 is: “recognizing psychoanalysis as an independent subject from psychology, psychiatry, counseling and psychotherapy and regulating the utilization of the name of psychoanalysis in Iran and coordinating that with international disciplines”[14] which indicates that we assume ourselves to be apart from sciences that believe in therapy in the field of soul and psyche. Therefore it can be concluded that we separate our work from therapy in the field of soul and psyche. While the Iranian Psychiatric Association and other supporter organizations of this congress are not qualified to hold psychoanalysis congress either. Consequently, the “1st Congress of Psychoanalysis and Psychodynamic Psychotherapy of Iran” without holding a valid permission from a capable authority was held illegitimately and Freudian Association requests for abolition of credit and point of this congress. It is worth mentioning that this issue was also considered by the involved principals of the congress in the way that the respected president of Iranian Psychiatric Association Dr. Jalili, President of Welfare Organization Dr. Hashemi, and the host of the congress then president of University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences Dr. Joghataei didn’t attend the congress which implies that this congress is not recognized by these authorities either.
3. Now [we] turn to Mrs. Gohar Homayounpour and the group that coordinates and cooperates with her as psychoanalysis students and etc., and remind [you] that this group is not holding any licenses from any undisputable authority and is not registered in any authorized legal organization of country but rather this group named “Freudian Group of Tehran” is a Gold Quest type pyramidal formation that as they state themselves they have 150 members. In this formation each member knows at most 3 or 4 other members and like all pyramidal formations is amplified exponentially and by multiplication, in a way that the people who are in the base of pyramid might not have connection with the apex of pyramid for years. In this way Mrs. Gohar Homayounpour is just a top branch and these 150 ones are her subdivision.[15] And all Gold Quests are established on the principle of exploitation of people’s greed to reach their goal overnight. In original Gold Quest the aim is to become rich overnight and in “Freudian Group of Tehran” is in 3 months –via telephone- becoming an analyst. [16] The top branch of this formation, Mrs. Gohar Homayounpour, is graduated from an incorporation educational institute (Yes really an institute including shareholders) named Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis Inc. The Rating of this institute according to their own declaration (in web site of BGSP) is D – [17] (!) and again according to their own declaration 72.73% of graduates of this institute do not succeed to find a job in the U.S (ibid)! Even a working license is not given to the graduates of this incorporation. License of this institute is not recognized by any of 2 international organizations of psychoanalysis; namely IPA[18] and WAP and it means that according to international regulations graduates of this institute only carry the name of psychoanalysis but they are not psychoanalyst! Thus and according to having no access to any possibility of working in America this person has setup herself a business and has gathered some people around herself. She claims that by 3 months of psychoanalysis through telephone(!) she trains psychoanalyst and she has already trained 150 persons (according to her own claim[19])! Whom they also, in their turn, practice “psychoanalysis” through phone call and receive large amount of money from ignorant patients[20].
This lady with such educational background attempted to hold the “Congress of Geographies of Psychoanalysis” at the expense of her own (!) and with no relation with any institution and organization in Iran while the international conference hall of the Pardisan Park [a governmental place] was at her service free of charge. The poster of this congress was not published in any place of Iran, neither had it an official website nor a call for papers. But Mrs. Homayounpour invited some foreign guests at the expense of her own and Iranian guests have been invited by “telephone”(!)It should be noted that as Mrs. Homayounpour was a member of the presiding board in a section at Dr.Sanati’s Congress, at Mrs. Homayounpour‘s congress Dr.Sanati was a chairman either[21].But holding this so-called congress also goes along with their purposes of fraud. This group by showing off being victimized at overseas pretends that working condition in the field of psychoanalysis in Iran is arduous and even dangerous and that “the government of Islamic Republic [of Iran] declares psychoanalysis as its number one enemy”[22] and as a result those who are working in this field in Iran are constantly under threat of being arrested and put into prison, and the like. Inviting some foreigners goes along with this purpose to prove the rate of their [this group] “oppression” and thus consider living and working in Iran as a heroic act in order to gain their support and the legitimacy which they lack through their victimization. Mrs. Homayounpour and her group prevented the presence of members of the only organization which is in charge of psychoanalysis in Iran, “Freudian Association”, in their congress. The organizers of the “Iranian Psychoanalytic and Dynamic Psychotherapy Congress” did not let, in different ways, the members of the only legal psychoanalysis organization in Iran [Freudian Association] to talk either and prevented their talk and by making clamor and noise and childish behavior prevented them from talking and applied all sorts of curse and insults on us. Homayounpour’s group shot film from this mess and then at their congress showed for people (foreign guests) who do not know Persian, to be able to claim that when we say the situation is bad in Iran[23], you can see yourselves. It is interesting that this lady with her very worthless educational certificate claims outside the country that she is a professor at Shahid Beheshti University[24] and thus induces that Iran is such a backward country that even with [holding] a worthless certificate [one] can teach at university.
Now the question is: behind closed doors of that Congress what was being inspired to the foreign guests that members of the only psychoanalysis NGO in Iran should not see or hear that? Why for what is officially conspiracy against psychoanalysis and humiliating and showing a black and murky view of the Islamic Republic of Iran a free of charge salon is allocated? Why persons’ private parties are thrown in a public place (Conference hall of Prdisan Park) and even before our explanations the security of this governmental place also protects this party? Which after our clarification about the group located in the hall, they gain relative awareness about the situation.
Since holding a conference of course requires permission from Ministry of interior it seems that they did not have this permission either.
Accordingly the Freudian association requests the respectable minister to inquire these two illegal congresses and their organizers. Supplementary information about Dr.Mohamad Sanati and Mrs.Gohar Homayounpour and a number of people who are presented as analysts by these two people to Iranian society is given in detail in the appendix.
Cc:
With Appreciation and Regards
On behalf of the Freudian Association
Dr. Mitra Kadivar
Physician and Psychoanalyst Member of the World Association of Psychoanalysis
[1] World Association of Psychoanalysis
[2] http://freudianassociation.org
[4] http://www.psychiatrist.ir/about/
[6] http://medicine.tums.ac.ir/default.aspx?p=2038
[7] http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/aboutthecollege.aspx
[10] http://freudianassociation.org/%D8%B3%D8%B1%D9%85%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%87/
[11] http://freudianassociation.org/ecf-messager-communique/
[14] http://freudianassociation.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/asasnamenn.jpg
[15] http://freudianassociation.org/%DA%AF%D9%84%D8%AF-%DA%A9%D9%88%D8%A6%DB%8C%D8%B3%D8%AA/
[16]http://freudianassociation.org/%DA%AF%D9%84%D8%AF%DA%A9%D9%88%D8%A6%DB%8C%D8%B3%D8%AA-%DB%B2/
[17] http://www.studentsreview.com/alumni.php3?SH=BGSP&ST=MA
[18] International Psychoanalytical Association
[21] www.ipa.org.uk/IPA_Docs/PERSIAN_geog.pdf
[22] Speech at Freud Museum at London, at 21 March 2013,Time from Min 56 Sec 54 on
http://www.podcast.de/episode/211546338/Doing%2BPsychoanalysis%2Bin%2BTehran/
[24] http://www.bgsp.edu/graduates/grads_ghomayounpour.html
shortlink:
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