Clinical simultaneous sessions; Effects of the XIV WAP Congress; Preparatory meetings of the EOL/NEL; The making-off the Executive Board; Hotline

Adolfo Ruiz, Pascale Fari, Ligia Gorini, Gabi Grinbaum, Rachel Cors, Viviana Berger, Jorge Assef, Mackling Limache

It is the promise of an open, lively and exciting debate

Lacan once said that a practice does not need to be clarified in order to be effective, but notice that he puts the emphasis not on efficacy, but on clarification. He has said this from the beginning of his teaching. In Seminar I, we already found the question: what do we do when we do psychoanalysis? He proposes (this question) as a compass to be developed in his first Seminar, but we find that same question formulated in a different way at the end of Seminar (XXIV), there Lacan says: “I continue, I still continue to question psychoanalysis regarding the way it works, how it is possible that it constitutes a praxis, which sometimes is even effective.” [Unofficial quote translation]. The simultaneous clinical days at the Congress are precisely a magnificent opportunity to move forward with answers and discussions around that question that he had asked us since the beginning of his teaching.
Adolfo Ruiz

Therefore, we invited members of the seven schools of the WAP to reflect on the clinical case that mobilizes them to clarify and illustrate the Congress’ theme, “There is no sexual relation”. We’ll prioritize the uniqueness of the case in each presentation that you will be able to listen. The orientation of the cure and analyst’s interventions will be legible and easily identifiable. The original articulation with the theme will be specified and clearly highlighted. The axes of work that were disseminated are valuable guidelines to focus on different perspectives, different ways of approaching the theme. Of course, clinical works may be based on a quote, a theoretical reference, but ever without hiding salient aspects of the case. The clinical days will therefore take place on Thursday, April 30 and Friday, May 1, 2026. These two days will be held by videoconference with simultaneous translation made by professionals. This is an expensive option, but the Congress’ organizers decided to redo it given the importance and effectiveness of this modality, which was already adopted in previous Congress to facilitate translations and preparation. Since registration for the Congress is open to non-members, the Congress’ directory decided to introduce a novelty this year: all participants, whether they are members of the WAP or not, will be able to speak and ask questions. For us, this holds the promise of an open, lively and exciting debate.
Pascale Fari

Initially we thought and discussed about the length of texts that we are going to request. A length of 6500 characters (per text) that will imply on the one hand an effort of reduction but will give enough time so that the authors can unfold their cases with richness (of details) to teach us during discussions. People already received the invitation to submit cases, from October 15 to November 15, 2025. The reading and selection of clinical works already began. Eight reading committees are in charge, and they are constituted by members of all Schools (of the WAP), proportionally formed by the size of each School, so that they are all well represented there. And after this there will be a commission that will take the report of these reading cartels, and if it deems necessary it may request to the authors to write with more precision, in some clinical or theoretical aspect so that the case can teach and be suitable for the (clinical) day.
Adolfo Ruiz

Each one its own color

Preparing a Congress of the WAP is, above all, a great honor. It is also a great responsibility, a responsibility that I have shared, as co-director, with my colleague Gil Caroz.

It’s also experiencing very contrasting moments: moments of joy, extremely pleasant moments of shared laughter, exchanges in several languages, with all the misunderstandings that they entail, and I love that. And then, sometimes there are moments of anguish: you can’t sleep wondering if everything will turn as planned, if there will be enough registrations, etc.

It is knowing that you’re alone and, at the same time, feeling supported by a truly extraordinary working community. The energy of the Schools emanates, with all their investment, which makes this an exceptional learning experience. I am and will always be grateful for it.

Finally, it is knowing how to pass the baton to colleagues, through permutation. And it is very gratifying to see how the next Congress, the one in 2026, which is approaching, is being prepared: to gradually discover the poster, the organization, the way in which everything develops, and to see that it starts again, but in a different way, each one contributing with one’s own personal touch, own color, own tone.
Ligia Gorini

We made the EOL a stage for the Congress

I put together a group of correspondents formed by seven young people who came from academic institutions, hospitals, i. e., different places. I can name them: Ludmila Malischevski, Ángeles Cordoba, David González, Ana Inés Bertón, Nicolás Mascialino, Mariana Isasi and Ana Sol Sikik. We already made an event at the EOL, which we planned in a festive way, since we pretended that the EOL was the stage for the Congress, we displayed iconic photos of couples. There is a special openness for the theme of love, and, on this occasion, we invited four members of the School to present their work.

We are interested that the Congress be integrated with the city, in the last annual days in Cordoba to present the Congress, for example, we took as theme the logics of love life that Jacque-Alain Miller unfolds when he talks about the first crush in the history of humanity, which was the one of Adam and Eve. We also took Mark Twain’s play, The Diaries of Adam and Eve, and we had two psychoanalysts acting, it was a lot of fun.

The most attractive thing about the aphorism, there is no sexual relation, is love. A question interested me, which was brought by Christiane Alberti when the theme was presented: “love continues to be the privileged substitute for the Non-sexual relation.” It is a very contemporary question, in times when we do not know what the destination of desire, of love, is.
Gabi Grinbaum

We have worked in a transversal way (NEL)

First, it is a theme that touches us as School-Subject because it invites us, as Lacan says, to make, to invent, to do what we can. In this sense, we have worked in a transversal way, because the NEL is a School that is present in nine countries, one different from the other and in this regard, the difference and non-sexual relation are already imprinted. Transversal, from Mexico to Santiago de Chile, traversing nine countries and thirteen Sections, we have thought of doing a work that involves the Sections, where we could meet and connect online with the other countries. We have planned three activities towards the Congress. Activities that we want to be related to a question to not exhaust the topic, what we proposed is to open with questions about this aphorism. It is transversal in the online sense, because we have no other option. We chose three of the thirteen sections as workplaces, and taking our online work thread based on a question that will unite us. The first is soon after ENAPOL.

In the NEL’s case we are interested in the fact that there is nothing pre-established, nothing is said (prior) and we are interested in working towards the logic of “there is no”, because it is important to deconstruct what this “there is no” is. We will see what results from the meetings in each Section.
Rachel Cors

It’s a great work piece, it feels like an opera

In a way, we carried the voice of the School’s locality in a set of debates, participations, contributions. We just made a joke about why the executive board is in English. And in some way, it was also a gesture to include the English language in the functions. The function is in some way to discuss some important points regarding organization, speaking in that sense to take into account the condition of each School. And then there is a debate contemplating what each one contributes.
Viviana Berger

You said that it is the voice of the School (that is carried), right?

M.: I remember a quote from Christiane Alberti, who says that each one does not represent one’s School, in the sense that it is not the School that is (represented) by the Congress’ executive board and instead, that there are representatives of the executive board in the Schools.

VB: Yes, it is the voice in regard to the advisory aspect, in the sense of bringing local issues of what is happening, transmitting since sometimes everyone is very focused on their local places and in that sense it is a channel of transmission. Then there are the correspondents who are, yes, the locals. For example, in the NEL we have a small committee where I, the correspondent, Raquel Cors, the president, Ana Viganó, and the vice-president, Luisa Aragón meet. In a way, yes, we promote preparatory activities. At the same time, I bring, comment and share these with the executive board, where each one shares these preparatory activities, and the issue of registrations. It is a great work, it seems like an opera where the voices put together all this apparatus.

I function as a link between the congress directory and the correspondent

Well, for me it has been an unprecedented experience to join a team with a representative of each School, because each one brings to the executive committee the specificity and reading that exist in their own community, which allows a conversation, for example, about the axes. Lately, the function of the executive board is to accompany the director, some ideas that he is thinking about and that he shares with us, some things that he is interested in discussing. The last thing we were working on was the thematic axes that will constitute the Congress proposal, particularly to allow colleagues to write their papers. It was possible to listen a little to what resonates for each community, for each country, the drifts that the subject has, for example, in the field of love or ties, which vary depending on certain issues that cross subjectivities in different cultures, they also vary according to the moment of work that each psychoanalytical community finds itself.

I don’t know if all (colleagues), but in my case I function as a link between the directory of the congress and the correspondent of the School that I represent on the executive board, which would be the EOL’s correspondent, his team.
Jorge Assef

It makes a difference with the correspondent

M: An idea of Christiane Alberti was that the member of an instance, or WAP commission, does not bring, does not represent the School, but does represent the WAP, the Congress, in his School, and it makes a difference with the correspondent, right?

J.A.: Exactly. That is why some of the issues that the correspondent thinks about: the dissemination of the School, the dissemination of the Congress, he comments with me, and in some way, there is a political line that the WAP indicates that I transmit to the correspondent. It seems to me that what is going to be worked on is towards the Congress’ dissemination, so this is the reading to be transmitted.

Hotline – is a direct line between the person who wants to participate in the event and the organization

Certainly, Hotline has many meanings in different parts of the world, but we are going to take the one that is usually used in Europe, which is a direct line between the one who registers, the one who wants to participate in the event, and the organization. Our committee, constituted by Bruno Alivón from the ECF, Paris, France, and me from Lima, Peru, is developing a platform with a technical tool that will allow us to solve known problems that always arise when someone registers for a Congress. At different times, I gave a lot of support to streaming issues and to online issues, and I have some knowledge on difficulties that arise. With Bruno, we are mapping which problems may arise. Difficulties with registration, not receiving the link, not accessing the room, not receiving the program, among other things. We will be in charge of providing support and accompanying (participants), these are moments of urgency for some participants, so to accompany them until they’re solved. The commission will be formed of colleagues who speak the five languages of the WAP. We have considered to be extremely important to answer someone in the language that one writes, and that a member of the support team could accompany him in solving the problem.
Mackling Limache