The Connecticut Society For Psychoanalytic Psychology
presents
Steven Stern, PsyD
Airless Worlds,
Needed Relationships,
and Complex Selfobjects
Clinical Conference
Saturday, September 19, 2026
Zoom
Conference check-in (Zoom): 10:45am
Conference: 11am-1pm
A Zoom link will be sent to all registrants the day before the event.
The Talk
Building on his 2019 paper in Psychoanalytic Dialogues, “Airless Worlds: The Traumatic Sequelae of Identification with Parental Negation,” Steven Stern will get into the weeds of the kinds of clinical process through which patients suffering from airless world syndrome can be helped to liberate themselves from their psychic captivities. He will focus on five major principles or constructs as applied in two clinical examples. They are: the needed relationship; deconstruction; resubjectification; a complex selfobject connection; and breathing together. Though his theoretical scheme may seem complex and abstract, Stern is a psychoanalytic pragmatist whose goal with each patient is to achieve progressive “usability” (à la Winnicott) as an increasingly trusted, transformational other.
The Speaker
Dr. Steven Stern is a faculty member, training analyst and supervisor at the Massachusetts Institute for Psychoanalysis (MIP) and the Institute for Psychoanalytic Study of Subjectivity (IPSS) in NYC; and is Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Tufts University School of Medicine and Maine Medical Center. His book, Needed Relationships and Psychoanalytic Healing: A Holistic Relational Perspective on the Therapeutic Process was published by Routledge in 2017 in the “Psychoanalysis in a New Key Book Series.” His second book, Airless Worlds and the Restoration of Psychic Breathing: Working Psychoanalytically with Early Relational Trauma, also with Routledge, was released in August, 2025. Dr. Stern practices in Portland, ME specializing in psychoanalysis, psychodynamic psychotherapy, couples therapy, clinical supervision and consultation.
Learning Objectives
1. At the conclusion of this talk, attendees will be better able to recognize patients suffering from airless world syndrome in their practices.
2. At the conclusion of this talk, attendees will be able to apply a clinical framework for treating patients suffering from some form or degree of airless world syndrome.
3. At the conclusion of this talk, attendees will understand, and be able to facilitate the development of, a complex selfobject connection with their patients who have experienced significant developmental trauma.
Recommended Reading
1. Stern, S. (2019). Airless worlds: The traumatic sequelae of identification with parental negation. Psychoanalytic Dialogues, 29: 435-450.
2. Newman, K. M, et al. (1988). Countertransference: It’s role in facilitating the use of the object. Annual of Psychoanalysis, 16: 251-276.
3. Bollas, C. (1987). The self as object. Chapter 3 in C. Bollas (1987). The shadow of the object: Psychoanalysis and the unthought known. London: Free Association Books. Also published as: Bollas, C. (1982). On the relation to the self as object. International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 63: 347-359.
Participants
The conference is appropriate for professionals interested in the practice of psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic psychotherapy. The instructional level of this conference is intermediate.
Continuing Education
If continuing education credit is desired, please mark the appropriate box on the registration page, for our records. In addition,100% attendance and completion of the evaluation form are required to receive continuing education certificates. The evaluation form will be sent as an online survey to all registrants within a few hours after the event. Participants who attend the full conference and submit the completed evaluation form will be sent a certificate of attendance.
To Register and Pay
Members: Remember to log in to receive the member discount when registering. If you do not log in, the system will not recognize your membership status.
All registrations must be completed and paid for online.
If you are using a phone, you will need to register through the WildApricot app, which is designed for mobile use and provides access to all registration options. The app Wild Apricot for Members is available free through your App Store. Simply log in with your usual CSPP email and password.
Refunds will be given in full until the Monday before the conference. To receive a refund, cancel your registration online by going to your profile in the upper right corner, selecting "My Event Registrations” clicking on the event, then click on "Cancel Reservation." For questions or problems, please contact the registrar, Monique St. Paul.
Scholarship registrants: If you need the registration code, contact William Hartmann, MFT.
Members and Contacts - Need to update your information? Please login to your profile, then click under your name at View Profile, to make any changes or additions, including changes of email addresses. If you have problems, contact Kelly Butler.
CSPP Membership: Membership is open to all mental health professionals ($115 annual dues); early career (10 years or less since degree, $55 annual dues); retirees ($40 annual dues); and graduate students ($20 annual dues). For further information on CSPP membership, please click here: CSPP.
Division 39 is committed to accessibility and non-discrimination in its continuing education activities. Participants are asked to be aware of needs for privacy and confidentiality throughout the program. If program content becomes stressful, participants are encouraged to process these feelings during discussion periods. If participants have special needs, we will attempt to accommodate them. Please address questions or concerns to Amanda Michael, PsyD.
