How to understand the French resistance to the links between neuroscience and psychoanalysis? Survey about their influences on the clinical practice in the developmental field

In the country of Anzieu, Green and Lacan, Neuropsychoanalysis does not have a large audience. Psychoanalytical societies are cautious with neuroscience, there is a wave against psychoanalysis in the scientific and academic world. The selection criteria for a position in the faculty of psychology exclude psychoanalytic work. There is a witch-hunting climate against psychoanalysis. There is an emergency to rethink the place of psychoanalysis in the clinical field, otherwise the risk is that it will disappear. In this era of mutual theoretical exclusion, psychoanalysts rarely evaluate their practices, and are reluctant to open up to other disciplines. Even the field of child development, by definition open to the contribution of complementary developmental sciences, is splitted.
Aim
The aim of this work is to directly question clinicians (psychoanalysts, clinicians refering/not refering to psychoanalysis) of the developemental field on how knowledge in neuroscience AND in psychoanalysis has, or has not changed their clinical practice.
Method
Clinicians from developmental field (psychoanalysts, psychologists, psychiatrists) were recruited through scientific societies and associations (WAIMH France, SFPEA, CIPPA, CNEP…).
They were asked to answer a questionnaire, divided in six fields 1) description of the clinician training, practice and research implication ; closed and open questions about how and in which way 2) the neuroscientific findings influence their practice ; they were asked to describe how the theoretical knowledge changed the representation and the process of their clinical work, emphasizing the clinical technique: the framework, the sessions, listening, the duration of the sessions, their interventions; 3) how the psychoanalytical findings influence their practice 4) Which other theoretical and practical background they refer to; 5) Did they hear about neuropsychoanalysis, and what do they think about 6) Do they think that there is a splitting between neuroscience, and psychoanalysis, if yes, what do they suggest to reduce it 7) open remarks
Results
As the work is still going on, the results are not yet available. We will explore 1) the links between the clinician characteristics (age, place of practice…) and their openess to different fields 2) the penetration of scientific knowledge on clinical technique 3) how neuropsychoanalysis is known 4) the suggestions to reduce the gaps
Discussion
We aim to understand the french resistance to neuroscience and psychoanalysis links. The results of this questionnaire, focusing on practice, will shed light about the clinical implications of theoretical positions. We do think that theoretical resistances are stronger than their clinical declinaisons.