I wanted to enjoy this show, but Patrick never NEVER shuts up! I’m not joking; he will blab for 20 minutes at a stretch. Dude has SERIOUS this-is-more-of-comment-than-a-question kinda energy.

I love this podcast so much! Every time I see another one is out, I know I’m in for a treat. My only issue is with their format choice - the style of beginning each episode with a really long “teaser” clip (from midway through) can be really disorienting. I wish I consistently knew how long it was so that I could just skip through it. Otherwise, such a thoughtful show!

A delicious treat

Great content on left politics and psychoanalysis, which provides entry points for people well-versed in this field and those with new interest. Episodes with guests tend to be the strongest, if only because they are more likely to minimize randy and/or twee and/or self-indulgent digressions by the main hosts. I got annoyed enough that I stopped listening for a while. But the majority of the content is so smart that I’ve just dealt with the annoying tangents by fast forwarding through them 2-3 times per show. So: highly recommended if you’re prepared to do that (or just more a patient person than me).

Where’s the analysis? I’m a psychiatrist trained in the psychodynamic tradition. I kept waiting for the guest to say something that was not a product of common sense and psychology 101. On your show, which I do like, people smuggle a lot in under the umbrella of psychoanalysis. I think you should acknowledge that or press guests to show more of a link between their work and analytic principles and practices. Thank you

Good show, but the episodes can be hit or miss. I’ve found the “hit” episodes are driven by Patrick Blanchfield’s interests and insights. The “misses” are episodes led by Abby. Patrick’s intellect is the key to what the show gets right. Abby feels more like a smart, talented, but ultimately average philosophy/gender studies professor. The varying caliber of the episodes can make it feel like two different shows. I’d advise letting Patrick drive more of the content.

Was listening to an episode and it took them over an hour just to get through the title of the essay they were supposed to be examining. Endless preludes and hedging before they examine any psychoanalytic idea.

I was so excited when this podcast began, and loved the idea of being systematically led through foundational psychoanalytic concepts in relation to contemporary life, politics, and concerns, but it seems to have veered off track to the point where I find most episodes unlistenable. I keep returning hoping for it to regain its focus, but end up disappointed. The hosts are smart, likable, and committed, but the podcast feels unfocused and grasping, and relies too much on chats with a single generation of scholars a part of their inner circle, or at least that’s how it feels from the outside. I will keep trying but I am disappointed.

I love the content, but the sound quality is really uneven. The male host speaks very quickly and is often difficult to understand.

I never review anything but I must say - I have not felt this intellectually stimulated in forever. Thank you so much

I somehow discovered this podcast when it was only a couple episodes old and moderately enjoyed it but did not continue listening. Recently rediscovered it and i am so glad I did! The interviews and discussions are consistently thoughtful, nuanced and entertaining. Getting tempted to become a Patron!

The male host’s voice is way too low in volume, whereas everyone else’s voice is way too high in volume. I find myself constantly pressing the volume up or down depending on who is talking. He also tends to mumble stuff really fast, rendering whatever he’s saying unintelligible, unless I slow down the speed and turn the volume up way high. And then I pause, to turn the volume back down, before the next person responds, so that I don’t blow my ears out. Some basic post-recording equalization would be a huge improvement. Not sure how they’ve gone months into this without getting the sound quality ironed out. I initially had very high hopes for this podcast, and had a paid subscription on patreon since its inception. I absolutely loved the episode on the uncanny. However, I come away from most episodes feeling like I’ve retained very little about whatever bits of psychoanalytic theory were touched upon. There is too much tangential trivia, too many episodes centered around pop culture, and of course now entire episodes focused on academically fashionable genderqueer stuff… and too frequently getting lost in the weeds of historical trivia (as a lay person, I just do not have the time or desire to learn about Freud’s many correspondences and the trace influences of various lesser known thinkers on his ideas). I thought this podcast was going to provide a core education of psychoanalytic concepts - especially the basic canonical ideas of major figures. But we’re already four? episodes into the Standard Edition and still stuck in preliminary scene-setting. I’m tapping out.

cannot express how deeply effective and affecting a & p are as thinkers and pedagogues.

The emotional tone of the podcast is in my perception shifting to a cloudiness that I don’t have the energy to weather for sake of the content.

I wanted to like this podcast but the multiple “like” fillers made it unlistenable to me. I had a professor in college who, when students kept inserting “ like” in their comments would point a finger and say “ no like”. By the end of the semester the “ like” tics were mostly gone. I’m pointing a finger ….

I’ve only heard 3 mins but my life will never be the same! Highly recommend!!

But the one guy is so pretentious and really takes over the conversation

Wanted to like since I’m also a fan of Know Your Enemy. The vocal fry is excessive. I know people say it’s sexist to remark on this, but I think that’s laughable. I’m a woman who manages to speak without this affect. Part of a podcaster’s job is to speak clearly and in a way that doesn’t distract the audience. It’s hard to focus on the discussion at hand when it sounds as though I am listening to a teenager.

Smart yet conversational podcast about psychoanalysis and its discontents.

check your sexism! Podcast is great- would love to see an ep on moses and monotheism!

Pros: The show is at its best when it’s like my perfect mother! Cons: My only critique is when it’s like my terrible father! Seriously, it’s really helpful to have people, specifically leftists, who’ve read a lot of Freud break apart his individual works and explain them in as-layman-as-possible terms. They do a great job attempting to define complicated, nuanced, and translated words. Thanks for taking the time with it. I genuinely appreciate it.

This is amazing — their conversation is irreverent but always thoroughly engaging. There’s something here for both the initiated and neophyte listener.

The pro: The content is solid, and the guests are informed and generous. The con: Abby’s overwrought vocal fry, combined with a nauseating self-referential tendency does a good job of making listeners cringe. Such pretentiousness and inauthenticity! She obviously doesn’t feel the need to listen to herself and “tone down the faux” so why should others spend time listening?

Good job!

Educated people trying hard to sound uneducated. Very limited intellectual scope.

I am not the only one to have noticed the resurgence of psychoanalysis on the political left over the past several years. Pat Blanchfield, one of the hosts of this pod, was on my radar early. I come to this as a leftist skeptical of psychoanalysis and of Freud in particular (I recommend Sebastiano Timpanaro’s “The Freudian Slip” for a Marxist critique of parapraxis analysis), but the hosts and guests bring warmth, humor, and political commitment to the subject and give a great sense of its contributions (but I would also say its limitations) within radical theory and activism. It is very much worth reading Parapraxis Magazine in conjunction with listening to this excellent podcast.

I’ve been waiting for this podcast ever since I first heard Patrick discuss Freud on the Know Your Enemy podcast. The hosts are funny, engaging, and explain complex ideas in simple, straightforward terms. If you’ve ever wondered how exactly psychoanalysis tries to explain human behavior, it’s worth a listen.

A great introduction to ideas that have been woefully misrepresented in mainstream culture during the past few decades. I found it completely accessible despite having practically no formal training in anything related to the topic. At the same time, it’s not bogged down by exposition and treats the listener’s intellect with respect. The best podcasts are free to be funny because they’re dead serious, and this podcast is a good example. Looking forward to what’s to come.

If you're interested in psychoanalysis but not an expert, this podcast is fantastic. The hosts explain everything in plain English, but it's not superficial or dumbed down at all. I can't wait to see where it goes!

I had the absolute pleasure of studying psychoanalysis with Abby in undergrad, and it completely changed my worldview, my perception of myself, and how I relate to others. Now Abby and Patrick’s incisive-yet-accessible approach to psychoanalysis is available to everyone in the form of this podcast. Congrats Abby, Pat, and everyone who made this production possible— you should be proud! I can’t wait to hear more :)

An excellent first episode from Patrick and Abby. I thoroughly enjoyed the way they introduced a number of concepts in ways suggesting the breadth of both their knowledge and their willingness to keep asking questions. I spent several years in analysis and even more reading about it, but I feel in need of a refresher and I’m excited to hear what they have to say.

I like the idea of this podcast. I’m a medical student interested in psychoanalysis from a clinical perspective with a little knowledge of Freud, Lacan, and Zizek. I found the podcast to be a nice introduction, but for me there was too much jargon. If the audience isn’t intended to be strictly other philosophy PhDs, the hosts could make it more accessible by cutting out or breaking down more of the terminology. I’ll keep listening and I’m definitely interested in learning more!

Excited for more