Skin and Psychoanalysis
CPD Credits
3.5
Event Type
Live Online Event
Location
Zoom & Recording
Time (UK)
2:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Standard
£80.00
Trainee/NHS
£68
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Skin and Psychoanalysis
Friday, June 19, 2026

Skin and Psychoanalysis

Skin and gaze, itching and anxiety, the role of ego functions, body image, and boundaries in the development of identity

With Prof Jorge Ulnik

This seminar explores the intersection between psychoanalysis and dermatology, focusing on how subjective experience can be expressed through the skin. Dr Ulnik will share his experience working alongside dermatologists and the the relationship between what the psychoanalyst hears and what the dermatologist sees. He proposes that both perspectives observe suffering that is both psychic and somatic. Key links will be made between skin and gaze, itching and anxiety, and the role of ego functions, body image, and boundaries in the development of identity. Skin symptoms are understood as forms of communication, defense, or even substitutes for identity.

Somatic symptoms reflect different ways the mind processes emotional experience. Some physical symptoms arise from overwhelming emotional tension without carrying a clear symbolic meaning, while others express inner fantasies, memories, or unresolved emotional conflicts. Understanding these manifestations requires examining how bodily sensations relate to perception, memory, emotions, and representation. It also involves considering the relationship between the body, external reality, and interpersonal experience. At times, bodily symptoms appear where language reaches its limits, expressing experiences that are difficult to think about or communicate directly. In this sense, the body may serve as a form of expression when certain emotional realities cannot yet be fully put into words.

The final section outlines a series of character types derived from psychoanalytic work with dermatology patients: fragmented, narcissistic, identity-diffused, unaware of their condition, and hypersensitive or “allergic to everything.” Each profile reflects specific relational patterns, defensive organisations, and failures of symbolisation, and each calls for distinct therapeutic approaches. More broadly, integrating psychoanalytic understanding into dermatological practice deepens diagnostic insight, strengthens the doctor–patient relationship, and supports more nuanced, individualised therapeutic interventions.

Programme

14.00 Introductions
14:05 The relationship between what the psychoanalyst hears and what the dermatologist sees

Prof Ulnik will share his interdisciplinary experience working as a psychoanalyst alongside dermatologists. The relationship between what the psychoanalyst hears and what the dermatologist sees will be explored. As a result, both professionals can shed light on the deep suffering which is felt in the soul and reflected on the skin. This lecture will include theoretical developments about the connection between: skin and the gaze; itching and anxiety; ego functions and the body image, as well as the relationship between identity and the concept of boundary.

14:45 Q&A
15:00 Break
15.10 Perception, Bodily Marks and Representation: Key concepts for Psychosomatic Theory and Practice

Somatic symptoms reflect different ways the mind processes emotional experience. Some physical symptoms arise from overwhelming emotional tension without carrying a clear symbolic meaning, while others express inner fantasies, memories, or unresolved emotional conflicts. Understanding these manifestations requires examining how bodily sensations relate to perception, memory, emotions, and representation. It also involves considering the relationship between the body, external reality, and interpersonal experience. At times, bodily symptoms appear where language reaches its limits, expressing experiences that are difficult to think about or communicate directly. In this sense, the body may serve as a form of expression when certain emotional realities cannot yet be fully put into words.

15.55 Q&A
16:15 Break
16.30 Some character-types elucidated by psychoanalytic work with dermatology patients & therapeutic tools and strategies

Psychoanalysis enriches dermatology by interpreting skin disorders as expressions of unconscious conflicts, affect regulation, and identity formation. Key concepts such as the “Skin-Ego” and early relational experiences shaping psychic structure are reviewed. Some character-types elucidated by the psychosomatic work with skin patients are proposed: fragmented, narcissistic, identity-diffused, unaware of their condition, and allergic to all”, each requiring specific therapeutic strategies. Skin symptoms may function as communication, defense, or substitute identity. Psychoanalytic evaluation helps clinicians understand symbolic meanings, improve doctor–patient relationships, and guide treatment choices. Integrating psychotherapy with dermatological care can enhance outcomes, especially when illness expresses emotional distress or unresolved conflicts.

17:15 Q&A
17:30 End

Prof Jorge Ulnik

Professor Ulnik is a physician, psychoanalyst, and psychiatrist. He is a Full Member of the International Psychoanalytical Association and a Training and Supervising Analyst at the Argentine Psychoanalytic Association.

He is both a clinician and researcher and has devoted his work to the study and treatment of patients with somatic disorders, standing out particularly in the field of psychodermatology, where he is a recognized reference. He is the founder of a psychosomatic treatment center for patients with skin diseases and serves as Adjunct Professor at the Faculty of Medicine and Associate Professor at the Faculty of Psychology at the University of Buenos Aires. He is also the founder and president of Euro Latin American Psychosomatics School (EULAPS) and was awarded the Sigourney Award in 2021.

He has been invited to lecture at psychoanalytic institutes in Italy, Spain, Australia, the United States, Portugal, Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Colombia, as well as at universities and hospital institutions in several countries worldwide (Canada, Israel, Uzbekistan, South Korea). His work has been particularly prominent in Europe, Russia, Spain, and at international congresses of psychoanalysis and dermatology.

He has numerous publications, and one of his books, Skin in Psychoanalysis (Karnac, 2007), has been translated and published in five languages.

He has also been a speaker in the Film and Psychoanalysis series, both in London, celebrating the centenary of the International Journal of Psychoanalysis, and in Madrid and Murcia, participating in film forums on works by Pedro Almodóvar and Woody Allen, among others.

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