Psychodynamic Psychiatry Day 2025: If grief is the 'sea we swim in', what does this mean for psychiatry?

‘What it is to be human. It seems to me that the common agent that binds us all together is loss, and so the point in life must be measured in relation to that loss. Our individual losses can be small or large. They can be accumulations of losses barely registered on a singular level, or full-scale cataclysms. Loss is absorbed into our bodies from the moment we are cast from the womb until we end our days, subsumed by it to become the essence of loss itself.’  (Cave, 2022)

After nine years of rich discussion and clinical reflection, this final Psychodynamic Psychiatry Day turns to what may be the most fundamental aspect of human experience: loss and grief. These forces underpin much of our clinical work, yet we are rarely afforded the space to reflect on them in depth.

Our response to loss — and our capacity to mourn — shapes both psychological development and vulnerability to mental illness. On this day, we will pause to think together about how grief, loss and mourning informs not only psychiatric symptoms, but also our practices, relationships, and ethical decisions.

Conference attendance will offer you:

• The Citymapper website/app can help you plan your route within London, giving the best walking, cycling, bus and tube routes available. Use postcode E1 8BB as your destination

• Take a 3D virtual tour of the Royal College of Psychiatrists building