Our colleague Antoine Nastasi died on April 14, 2021, after a three-year struggle with serious illness. During that time, he continued to work as closely as possible on the numerous projects he had launched before falling ill. He was a Founding Member of our Society, the Psychoanalytic Society for Research and Training (SPRF), after having been a member of the “Quatrième Groupe”. For many years, he was deputy director of the Centre for Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy Jean et Evelyne Kestemberg.
Antoine was particularly committed to the psychoanalytic treatment of psychotic patients. Together with Liliane Abensour, he founded and was one of the chief editors of the journal Psychanalyse et psychose.
Antoine’s ability to listen and his enthusiasm also found an outlet in his talent for psychodrama therapy. He trained many therapists in this original technique.
His research on psychosis led to the creation of Margelle, an association devoted to treating psychotic patients thanks to a combination of private therapy and hospital care. This network also includes several members and candidates of our Society.
His research on psychosis led to the creation of Margelle, an association devoted to treating psychotic patients thanks to a combination of private therapy and hospital care. This network also includes several members and candidates of our Society.
Antoine’s warmth, generosity and open-mindedness will be sorely missed by us all. As a training analyst, he supervised many of our candidates and his non-dogmatic stance was very much appreciated.
Indeed, his vision of psychoanalysis was based on scientific rigor combined with the use of metaphorical, even poetic representations of psychic functioning, thanks to which he managed to to convey the singular and mysterious quality of the psychotic mind.
Antoine was also an accomplished poet. Before he died, he learned that a book of his poems was about to be published by the Editions l’Harmattan.