The conversation will be held in English.

Annie Rayner's book, "Theories of the Mind of W.R. Bion - A Contemporary Introduction," contains the best of Bion's theories. Rayner presents Bion, one of the greatest thinkers in psychoanalysis, in an accessible and original way without compromising the complexity of his ideas. "There are many books on Bion," writes Thomas Ogden about the book. "Rayner's book is different: it captures what is revolutionary in Bion's thinking in a fresh and clear way. Rayner, who was Bion's student in the 1970s, is now one of the leading scholars of Bion."

I do not wish to repeat what Bion has already said, but rather to address some of the mysteries to which Bion drew our attention, including the transcendent, enigmatic, infinite reality that he called "O." Bion refers to the relationship between Bion's earlier theories and O as the components of beta and alpha. She argues that some of the earlier theories help us to see O in a different light, and on the other hand, O helps us to see in a new light the importance of Bion's early work to psychoanalytic work.

Reiner provides clinical examples of many of the vague concepts that Bion developed from her work with patients.

In this conversation, Aner Guvrin and Sharon Ziv-Beiman will discuss with Annie Rayner her acquaintance with Bion during the 1970s, and will touch on topics such as:

No-Thing

The chosen fact

Thoughts without thinking

"O"

We will also examine the possibility of the therapist operating "without memory and without desire" in order to remain in a position of openness to O's waking dream state.

Evening participants receive a 20% discount on their purchase (coupon LE22 )

Link to purchase the book:

https://www.routledge.com/WR-Bions-Theories-of-Mind-A-Contemporary-Introduction/Reiner/p/book/9780367745684

Annie Rayner is a senior faculty member and supervising analyst at the Psychoanalytic Center of California (PCC) in Los Angeles. Her work was greatly influenced by Wilfred Bion, with whom she studied in the 1970s. She lectures internationally, is published in numerous journals and anthologies, and is the author of three psychoanalytic books, including –

The Quest for Conscience & and The Birth of the Mind (Karnac 2009), and Bion and Being: Passion and the Creative Mind (Karnac 2012)

Her latest book: Bion's Theories of Mind: A Contemporary Introduction (Routledge, 2022).

Published in the Routledge Introductions to Contemporary Psychoanalysis series, edited by Aner Guvrin.

Dr. Rayner is also an illustrator and playwright. She is the author of a book of short stories, four books of poetry, and six children's books that she also illustrated. She maintains a psychoanalytic practice in Beverly Hills, California.