NEUROPSYCHOANALYSIS AND THE ARTS
A virtual international conference co-hosted by
the New York Psychoanalytic Society and Institute’s
Horowitz-Sondheim Clinic for the Treatment of Theater Artists
(New York, USA)
and
Institute of Neurocommunications and Psychotherapy
(Vilnius, Lithuania)
Saturday, October 17, 2026
9:00 AM – 1:00 PM (EST) / 3:00 PM – 7:00 PM (CET) / 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM (EET)
FREE ADMISSION
Co-organizers:
Lois Oppenheim, PhD
Arseny Tarabanov, PhD
Keynote Speaker:
Vittorio Gallese, MD
Speakers:
Irith Barzel-Raveh, PhD
Pól Ó Mórdha/Paul Moore
Claudia Muth, PhD
Arseny Tarabanov, PhD
We are pleased to announce a joint international conference co-hosted by the New York Psychoanalytic Society and Institute (USA)and the Institute of Neurocommunications and Psychotherapy (Lithuania). This symposium brings together world-renowned experts to explore the profound intersection of neurobiological mechanisms, psychoanalytic theory, and the creative process.
From the embodied experience of aesthetic images to the role of mimesis in clinical psychodrama, this event will delve into how the mind-brain constructs beauty, meaning, and resilience through the arts.
About the Conference
This virtual gathering serves as a bridge between the clinical room and the artist’s studio, viewed through the lens of modern neuroscience. By examining how “aesthetic instabilities” and “embodied simulation” influence our psyche, we aim to deepen the dialogue on how art functions not just as an object of study, but as a vital component of human mental health and neurobiological integration.
Biographies:
Vittorio Gallese, MD, is Full Professor of Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Parma and Director of the Laboratory of Social Cognitive Neuroscience. He is Adjunct Senior Research Scholar at the Italian Academy for Advanced Studies at Columbia University, New York, USA, and member of the Academia Europaea. A cognitive neuroscientist, Prof. Gallese is one of the discoverers of mirror neurons. His research focuses on the relation between the sensorimotor system and social cognition by investigating the neurobiological grounding of intersubjectivity, psychopathology, language and aesthetics. He is the author of more than 300 scientific publications and six books.
Lois Oppenheim, PhD is Professor Emerita at Montclair State University where she was also named University Distinguished Scholar. She is Scholar Associate Member and on the faculty of the New York Psychoanalytic Society and Institute and Honorary Member of the William Alanson White Society. Prof. Oppenheim has published approximately one hundred papers and book chapters and is the author or editor of sixteen books, including Imagination from Fantasy to Delusion, awarded the 2013 Courage to Dream Prize from the American Psychoanalytic Association, and A Curious Intimacy: Art and Neuro-Psychoanalysis. Her most recent book, Neuroaesthetics and Psychoanalysis: Curiosity, Creativity, and Crisis, will be published in the Neuropsychoanalysis Series at Routledge (June, 2026).
Arseny Tarabanov, PhD, Director, Institute of Neurocommunications and Psychotherapy (Lithuania), is a psychoanalytically-oriented psychotherapist and academic researcher engaged in a critical dialogue between neuropsychoanalysis, affective neuroscience, and philosophical anthropology. Formerly Associate Professor at St. Petersburg State University, he taught in the Department of Philosophical Anthropology focusing on the ontological foundations of psychological subjects. A frequent contributor to the China American Psychoanalytic Alliance (CAPA), Dr. Tarabanov delivers specialized modules focused on the synthesis of neuroscientific data and clinical practice. He is the co-author of the seminal academic volume Child Psychiatry (Russian Federation), a fundamental text for medical and psychiatric education, as well as several published papers, including “Network and Narrative Model of Psychopathology: Interpersonal Neurobiology in the 21st Century — The Problem of Articulation and Future Research Perspectives.”
Irith Barzel-Raveh, PhD Dr. Raveh-Barzel is a senior clinical psychologist and one of the leading figures in the development of clinical neuropsychoanalysis in Israel. Her work stands at the forefront of integrating developmental neuroscience, affective systems theory, and psychoanalytic thought into a coherent and clinically applicable model of mind. Dr. Raveh-Barzel introduced infant observation to Israel and advanced the study of normal development as the foundation of subjectivity and relational life. Trained in early neurodevelopmental assessment and deeply influenced by the affective neuroscience of Jaak Panksepp and the neuropsychoanalytic framework of Mark Solms, she has consistently worked to translate emotional systems theory into therapeutic practice. Her work offers a powerful reconceptualization of imitation as a generative force in identity formation and intersubjective development. As founder of the Israeli Forum for Neuropsychoanalysis and Director of the Neuropsychoanalysis Open School, Dr. Raveh-Barzel has built an international clinical community dedicated to bridging brain, mind, and therapeutic action. In her current role as Clinical Director of Benafshenu, she continues to develop integrative models for addressing secondary trauma and collective resilience.
Pól Ó Mórdha/Paul Moore is a psychoanalytic psychotherapist in private practice in Dublin and Carlow, Ireland. He is Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin and Course Director of the M.Sc. in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy. Prof. Moore lecturers in psychoanalysis and neuropsychoanalysis at Trinity College and other institutions of higher education. He is also a visiting faculty member of the National Psychological Association for Psychoanalysis (NPAP) in New York. He is a former Chair of the Irish Institute of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy (IIPP) and a Training Analyst with the IIPP. Prof. Moore is a founding member and group leader of Neuropsychoanalysis Ireland, and is also an associate editor with the journal Neuropsychoanalysis. In addition to his general practice in psychotherapy, he specialises in psychotherapy with people who have experienced a brain injury and people on the autistic spectrum. As part of his PhD studies in neuroscience, Prof. Moore partners with Prof. Oliver Turnbull’s Emotion Research Lab at Bangor University North Wales, where the team is investigating the neural correlates of psychotherapy.
Claudia Muth, PhD. After her studies in design and cognitive science, Claudia Muth worked as a researcher and lecturer at the University of Bamberg and as a museum manager for a hands-on museum in Nuremberg. Following a substitute professorship in Psychology of Design at Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design Halle, she became Professor of Design Sciences at Hof University of Applied Sciences where she has been since 2023. Prof. Muth is interested in perceptual structures and their dynamic organization, how cognitive processes are embedded in material and social environments, and how we shape and design this relationship.
Lois Oppenheim, PhD
Program Committee Chair
New York Psychoanalytic Society and Institute
