Centers of Power

Kabbalah and psychoanalysis are conceptions about the nature of reality. The former is over two thousand years old. The latter has been formalized less than a hundred years ago. Nonetheless they are parallel journeys of discovery that have forever altered not only what we see, but the very nature of seeing itself. The domain of Kabbalah is the spiritual and material macrocosm. In contrast the concern of psychoanalysis is the microcosm, the innermost recesses of the human mind. However, both are convergent and complementary theories. Kabbalah asserts 'as above so below,' meaning, the Godhead, the source of everything, is reflected in the smallest details of existence. Similarly, psychoanalysis traces the evolution from 'inner objects' to family feuds and social fields.

More than theories, however, Kabbalah and psychoanalysis test the limits of direct experience. They are contemplative, meditative and introspective methods for restoring shattered worlds and fragmented lives. These are material as well as spiritual entities which have been separated from their source, on one hand 'the Godhead' and on the other, 'personal praxis.' The purpose of this study is to explore how Kabbalah and psychoanalysis converge and diverge, complement and conflict with each other, in order to amplify their impact and enable mankind to gain a greater understanding of reality.

Joseph H. Berke is a psychoanalytic psychotherapist. He is the founder and director of the Arbours Crisis Center, a pioneering psycho-social treatment facility in London. Dr. Berke is the author of many books and articles about psychology and religion as well as a lecturer and teacher.

Stanley Schneider is a supervising and training psychoanalyst and a full member of the Israel Psychoanalytic Society. He is professor and chairman of the Program for Advanced Studies in Integrative Psychotherapy, Hebrew University, Jerusalem.