Movimiento Expresivo is an organisation that uses dance to encourage creative and emotional expression among teenagers and young adults with down’s syndrome and other disabilities. Anna Johansson reports.

Camera & editing: Kristian Andersen

Today the National Assembly of Venezuela (AN) approved President Hugo Chávez’s’ request to travel to Cuba for a special medical treatment.

The trip starts today, however, the return date is unknown. Chávez assured the public that he will attend his inauguration on 10th January and present his plans for 2013-19 to the AN.

In the letter to the assembly Chávez explains: “Alongside the intense presidential campaign and fulfillment of my duties as a head of state, I have been taking care of my own health and complied with the treatment plan given to me by the doctor. Six months after I completed the last radiation therapy treatment, he recommended that I start a special treatment consisting of various sessions of hyperbaric oxygen therapy to consolidate the process of strengthening my health.”

Hugo Chávez was diagnosed with cancer back in June 2011, forcing him to suspend his participation in the founding meeting of CELAC. He went through several chemotherapy and radiation therapy cycles in Cuba and declared himself to be free of cancer in July this year.

Recently Chávez has presented himself as an active and healthy figure in the public eye, who can handle pressure. At the same time, he has to spend a lot of time in Cuba (over 100 days per year), where he gets treatment for cancer, the type of which remains a secret.

Chávez finished his latest letter to the AN with the following statement: “I confirm that I have great confidence that I will build a proud country together with its people.”

The porteño culture has a rich and complex history. Its myriad culture lends itself to in depth study and understanding… unfortunately this is a top five and we haven’t got time for that. So here’s our guide to faking it as a native in Buenos Aires in under a thousand words.

Arriving in a new country can be tricky, and adapting to a new culture can be even harder. Luckily we’ve got a cure in the form of our top five porteño actions and attitudes–It’s the list of stereotypes and generalisations you always wanted! Not to mention the best route to making long-term porteño friends…

En serio, this top five is the editorial equivalent of kicking off your socks and sandals and smearing yourself in dulce de leche. A pleasant experience all round in other words! So put down the guidebook and get started.

A couple smooches in Puerto Madero. (Photo: Beatrice Murch)

Embrace the People. Literally.

Porteños are famous for their good looks, which might explain their propensity for public displays of affection. To really embrace porteño life, you need to get into heavy petting in a public place. This can be a difficult adjustment for foreigners, particularly as other cultures frown upon such demonstrations in couples over the age of 15. However, as a population, Argentines are beautiful, passionate people; it’s visible in the architecture of its cities, in its famous literature, and in the couple groping each other next to you on the bus.

In Buenos Aires, couples of all ages can be found entwined in the most unlikely locations at all times of day, however the top place for public trysts is the subte. The close physical proximity of the rush hour journey does lend itself to intimacy and even with full phone reception there’s little else to do on the ride to work. We hear subte trips really fly by when you spend them attached to someone else’s face, so hop on and get off. Make sure you know the person you’re mauling though – uninhibited is one thing, sexual harassment is another.

Hire a Therapist

A Porteño kind of life involves a serious self-analysis (Photo:Tony Hall)

How are you feeling today? Like you might have some serious childhood issues you need to work through, for at least an hour a week if not more? Join the back of the queue. To really embody the porteño stereotype you need to develop a serious desire for self analysis, and subsequently hire someone to listen to it. Porteños are typically keen on therapy and even have their own TV show dedicated to the topic – ‘En Terapia’.

However this isn’t to say Buenos Aires is a riddled mess of psychological issues. Your average porteño is much less likely to spend a night out talking about themselves, their boyfriends, or their childhood bed-wetting issues than you are – they already covered it in their 2.30 appointment.

Therapy is something probably more of us should consider. Think of it as outsourcing your whingeing. Adjusting to a new city can be tough and snivelling all over your new friends won’t help you fit in. Why not do everyone a favour and get on the Argentina therapy wagon? Bring your wallet though, it turns out emotional intelligence isn’t cheap.

Get with the Argen-times

Buenos Aires is known as the city that never sleeps (Photo: Ewan)

Buenos Aires is a city for night owls. If you like getting up early, you might as well not go to bed, or at least dose yourself up on enough mate and cortados to keep you sustainably jittery. Everything in this city happens late, which can be tricky to get used to, especially if you like sleeping and eating…

Most new arrivals suffer a short period of food jet lag – finding themselves staggering through the city craving lunch at 3pm while most porteños are sipping their first coffee. Meeting friends for an evening meal won’t help either – you won’t be eating before 11pm, and if you arrive on time, you’ll be the only one. Late means on time in Buenos Aires, so on time means early – let your starving brain mull that one over while you gaze at someone else’s steak.

The major benefit to this arrangement is the amount of extra hours in every day. When you eat at 11pm, leave the house at 2am and go out at 4am, the night seems never-ending. The next day at work also seems pretty eternal, but that’s a top five for another day…

Walk the Walk

Ricky Sarkany´s latest collection of platform heels (Photo: Agus Carini)

If you want to step out, not stick out, it’s time to buy a pair of platforms. This isn’t some kind of tango slang but an homage to the platform shoe. It may be a passing trend, but it’s certainly a successful one –from flip flops to brogues, every porteño foot seems to have paid a visit to Nicolas Sarkozy’s dressing up box.

In England these shoes are known as ‘brothel creepers’ and they have a history dating back to World War II. The Argentine version looks less like a war shoe than one of Elvis’ blue suede numbers, but if the heritage remains unclear, the rules do not. All normal shoes apply for this make-over but the best pairs feature leopard print and brightly coloured suede as well as a brick-like bottom.

The biggest bonus of the porteño platform trend is accessibility. It applies to any and every kind of footwear, and by the time you’ve perfected the art of walking on what feels like two planks of wood, you’ll really feel like one of the crowd, even if you won’t be able to see above it.

Develop a Sweet Tooth

Porteño menus are a heady mix of meat, cheese, and more meat, but in between the choripan and panchos you’ll need to find space for the enormous range of sugary treats on offer – factor in the facturas, if you like.

Medialunas (Photo: Longhorn Dave)

If you haven’t already immersed yourself in dulce de leche (hopefully metaphorically) you’ll probably have developed an addiction to medialunas. These sticky, fluffy little delicacies are lethally good and can be eaten at any time of day. In fact if you’ve been up all night following tip number 3 (and maybe 1…) the sugar hit is justifiable on medicinal grounds.

Even foods you once thought of as savoury can take on whole new identities in Buenos Aires. Pasta sauces sometimes seem more like fruit juices and cake and bread perform pretty much the same function. Never underestimate the porteño appreciation for the white stuff – yes we’re still talking about sugar – and start to embrace a new range of flavours. Ease in with ‘muy picante’, food with a hint of salt and pepper, and head towards ‘muy dulce’, the place where cholesterol goes to die.

When a dog feels stressed, what is there to do? Take it to a psychiatrist. Obviously.

Dogs in therapy play-fight on the couch. (Photo: Lili Kocsis)

It is hard to miss the hoard of dogs that evade the streets of Buenos Aires – the four-legged, tail-wagging, tongue-dangling creatures are absolutely everywhere. A survey released this year by Mars, world leader in pet food manufacturing, reveals unsurprising statistics that prove Argentina to be the Latin American champ of the nations for indulging in pets.

Eight out of ten households in Argentina house a pet, 63% of which are dogs. From individual walkers to ‘paseadores,’ it seems the city is but a playground for canines.

But however fun Buenos Aires is, cities can be difficult places to live in. The endless hustle-bustle, being cooped-up in small apartments, and the ever-looming cloud of pollution is stressful even for us humans. Dog psychiatrist, Ricardo Bruno, argues that for most of these miniature urban dwellers, the city is detrimental.

Dog Whisperer Ricardo Bruno with two patients (Photo: Lili Kocsis)

It probably shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that in a country where visiting a therapist is as part of a daily routine as the gym, and where nine million dogs are domesticated, that psychiatry has been elevated from its originally human realms to those of dogs.

Bruno is one of ten pet psychiatrists in Buenos Aires, resolving issues with aggression, fear, and compulsive symptoms, ultimately socialising troublesome cats and dogs. And not just by dog whispering. “I am a doctor, I medicate animals with anti-depressants such as Paroxetine and Lorazepam,” he explains.

Isolation vs. humanisation of dogs

Over thousands of years, dogs have been domesticated to instinctively relate to their human families as being part of their pack, but there is a fine balance between needing to be socially involved in family life and being considered too much to be like a human. Various factors create festering problems in pets, which eventually need treating.

For one, dogs bought for security tend to be left alone in backyards, away from crucial human contact. All the dog’s instincts tell it to be part of the pack, causing it anxiety and stress.

“We have a large problem with security, so many people buy dogs for security rather than love, but in the end the dogs attack them. It is the same as people buying a gun for security, but end up shooting themselves in the foot, literally,” Bruno laughs.

The problem also persists with dogs that are bought just for show, many owners do not have time for their dogs, leaving them alone in the house for extended periods of time.

Dogs left alone tend to break everything, explains Bruno, which escalates into a larger problem as ‘destructive’ dogs then become further isolated, left on a terrace where they are unable to destroy things in the family home.

“People in Europe are more conscious when they are thinking about buying a dog; they think first. Here, they first buy the dog, and then they think.”

Although dogs thrive on companionship, owners can also run the risk of involving them too much in the family. Dogs are often accepted into a family like a human being, along with human expectations and without training.

Bruno theorises that people often feel alone in a city like Buenos Aires, so they take on dogs, and they love them like humans, and with such high expectations, owners get frustrated when their dog ‘misbehaves’, creating a confusing relationship for the dog. “Often, the problem is that the owner does not understand that they must be the leader. People see humans in their dogs. But they are not humans: they are dogs.”

Most dogs in Buenos Aires are not born with mental disorders – the conditions of living in an urban environment cause them, argues Bruno. “If you put any one of them in the countryside, they would be fine.”

So has Buenos Aires’ dog-crazy population created monsters out of canines?

Dog behaviour specialist, Mariana Bontosela, believes that Buenos Aires’ dogs are not doomed; though admitting to an Argentine pet ownership problem, she is much more optimistic. “Dogs have been domesticated for the last 16,000 years, they have long since adapted to living with humans and within cities.”

Bontosela does, however, agree there lacks a culture of education here – dogs are not typically taught tricks or even simple things such as ‘sit’. But she adds that as long as dogs are trained for their function, it is unlikely there will be problems. As an example, she uses security dogs, which function just fine left outside of the house; if trained properly, they should not present problems.

This dog, Max, stares out the window. (Photo: Poppy Wright)

“For pet dogs, contact is vital,” she adds, reiterating Bruno’s concerns, emphasising that an increase in pet-owner interaction is essential.

But generally, she believes that respect for dogs in Argentina is on the up: “People have been a lot more careful in the last few years, with zoological awareness on the rise. It is true that humanisation of dogs is still a problem, but Argentines really love their dogs, and attempt to treat them well.”

Both Bruno and Bontosela believe that the way to change the behaviour of Argentina’s pet dogs is through adapting interaction between pets and owners. Owners need to further understand their dogs, working with them. Though the allocation of drugs is essential for some, medication should only be assigned with an increase in human attention.

“It is really important to make people understand their pets, it interests me more to speak to the owner, because I want the people to understand the meaning of their dogs,” Bruno explains.

“If a dog keeps jumping onto people, give it special attention when its feet are on the ground. Although there are different variations of behavioural correction, this forms the crux.”

Dominique Gutierrez and Ryan Long, dog psychology first-timers, took their misbehaving pup, Joey, to Bruno for help earlier this year. “Sometimes a switch would go, and he’d get really angry,” they explained. They were convinced Joey’s constant snapping and aggressive tendencies could not be changed, but they could not put up with his disruptive behaviour any longer.

Bruno prescribed him female hormones for a month, assigned the dog a special lead, and told the couple “you can deal with this,” telling them to show Joey who was boss. Through Bruno’s various methods, the couple have seen huge improvements in Joey’s behaviour.

The message is clear, in a city of undeniable dog lovers, it is best not to smother or ignore pets, but to create a healthy balance. Though most of the city’s dog owners have their hearts set in the right place, more attention needs to be given to the way they interact with their dogs. Love is simply not enough.

Whilst researching for this article all of the spas below were an instant relief from the streets, buses and people outside. Located in central, easy to get to places, this is a list of urban spas. With a focus on treatments and ‘circuits’ that last a few hours, these are places to go to after a busy day, during that mid-week slump, or as a cheeky escape with a friend or partner.

Some in this list have all the expected facilities of a spa; pools, saunas and a variety of treatments. Some though are just a great place to get a massage or a variety of treatments. So if you just want to take a few hours out of your life, check out this list – from the modern to the simple to the spiritual, one of these below will be able to satisfy your desires.

1. Yin Yang Pie (Recoleta) 

Yin Yang Pie’s massages come highly recommended. With a small, simple salon, the price list reflects this simplicity. Offering face, feet and body massages they also do manicures and pedicures. No treatments exceed $150.

Their philosophy is all about relaxation and the importance of this to overall mental and physical well being. They aim to ‘stimulate mental activity and positive energy’ which they also believe helps to combat stress. A session here will therefore benefit your body, but also your inner energy.

Located just off a side-street in Recoleta, different treatments are carried out in small, tent portioned areas. Manicures and pedicures are carried out on comfy chairs and sofas whist you watch life bustling past outside.

For more information, click here.

Experiencia Nirvana (Photo courtesy of Experiencia Nirvana)

2. Experiencia Nirvana (Palermo) 

Located in trendy Palermo Soho this spa fits in with the general ethos of the barrio. With an emphasis on spiritual and homeopathic treatment, its first floor studio really is a sanctuary from the streets outside. There is soft lighting and a tranquillity that is made possible by their attention to the smaller details.

Whilst you are experiencing a treatment there will be incense burning and being wafted around the room. There are also sounds and music which add to the tranquillity and spiritualness of your time spent there.

There is a big emphasis on couple massages and also ‘circuits’ here. There are ‘special circuits’ available which are ‘chocotherapy’, hot stones and also ‘winetherapy’. Which all take these items and incorporate them into traditional massages.

Open Monday to Saturday 9am–9pm. Sunday 3pm-9pm. For more information, click here.

Markus Day Spa (Photo courtesy of Markus Day Spa for Men)

3. Markus Day Spa for Men (Recoleta) 

Markus day spa for men proudly labels itself as ‘Latin America’s first spa exclusively for men’. Although you will find other male spas in Buenos Aires this is the only one that is truly for the modern, metrosexual, man. Its unique entrance policy does not take away any of the quality of pampering in the interior.

All of the usual services are adapted to the male clientele; facials, waxing, aromatherapy and even wine therapy. It also has those little details which make it just that bit easier to see a man in there. There are four barber chairs where you can enjoy a clean shave and the general ambience despite is modern, clean and un-fussy.

As you enter the reception off the busy street you instantly feel like you’ve entered an underwater cave or something equally aquatic. And that is really the feel of the whole spa. Tucked underneath an apartment block it is a secret den of relaxation and pampering.

From 1st September 2011, open Monday to Saturday 1-11pm, Sundays 1-9pm. Wednesday and Sundays 20% off all day long. Monday and Tuesday 15% off from 12-2pm. For more information, click here. 

Ser Spa (Photo courtesy of Ser Spa)

4. Ser Spa (Palermo)

Yes this spa is run by the yoghurt brand. Aside from the occasional wall display and included snacks it is easy to escape the advertising. With a fresh green décor throughout the entire interior it feels fresh, calm and clean inside.

This is certainly a place to go and relax. With sleeping rooms and a wonderful winter garden room, a visit here is designed to incorporate a significant period of relaxation. There is a pretty Jacuzzi in the centre, as well as a steam room. You can also visit the gym for a workout if you so wish.

One of the best features of the Spa are the ‘spa days’. Choosing either Relaxation, Beauty, Pause or Fun you can enjoy a series of services lasting a few hours.

Open Monday to Friday 7.30am-10.30pm, Saturday 11am-9pm, Sunday and holidays, 12-8pm. For more information, click here.

5. Verde Manzana (Recoleta) 

Probably the most hidden of all these urban spas, ‘Green apple’ is located on a third floor apartment. With a little Yoga studio, the treatment rooms are located in numerous rooms in the apartment. With the staff padding around barefoot, the feel is very homely.

A big sign behind reception announces the philosophy behind the spa. The motivation behind the spa is that it is not enough to leave relaxing to the weekends. For the well being of mind and body one should learn to relax mid week, or more importantly when one needs to.

With a variety of massages, reflexology, aromatherapy, hot stones and a variety of aesthetic treatments there is a wide choice for how to relax. Importantly the spa is designed to fit it with your busy life.

Open Monday to Saturday, 9am-9pm. For more information, click here. 

Buenos Aires rivals New York for having one of the world’s highest ratios of therapists to inhabitants – one for every 30 porteños. In recent years, practitioners have started to cater for English speakers too. The Argentina Independent meets two such therapists to discuss their varied approaches, how different it is to practise in Argentina and whether the mother tongue really is the language of heart.

Steven Nissenbaum (Photo: Melissa Riggall)

Having worked for 25 years in the States, Steven Nissenbaum set up his ‘concierge’ psychotherapy practice here in January 2011. This means he limits his number of clients in order to “invest more, physically and emotionally.” He believes sessions should not be ruled by the clock, that a therapist’s personal disclosures are sometimes appropriate and that sharing in patients’ rites of passage is desirable. To this end, he once jumped out of a plane at 13,000 feet with a group of clients.

“I was considered a non-traditional therapist back in the States and that’s magnified here,” he admits. “I’m a life coach, a therapist, a physiologist and a nutritionist. The body-mind connection is far more profound than most people realise.” He aims to treat holistically; in addition to talk therapy, sessions can include visualisation and meditation and patients must adhere to a diet and fitness programme. “But I practise what I preach,” he adds, “because I know I wouldn’t go to a healthcare professional who was overweight and looked like a slob.”

Marisa Apostolidis, originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, studied both anthropology and social work in the States. She became interested in the discipline of psychoanalysis through attending classes with Argentines in Madrid. It was there that she heard of Buenos Aires’s reputation as one of the world’s psychoanalytic hotspots. She decided to move here several years ago and now thrives on the city’s active and flourishing psychoanalytic community.

“It’s not a case of getting a degree and being done: you are constantly revisiting texts, attending both clinical and theoretical workshops and rethinking with peers,” she explains. She admits that sometimes people have misconceptions about this branch of psychotherapy. “Psychoanalysis is not a case of ‘this means that’. It’s not so much explanation but interpretation; that is to say, giving an alternative reading. Patients will talk about whatever they like and I ask questions as they occur. There are moments of insight as the client unconsciously presents material for the therapist to read. But what they present is just the tip of the iceberg, especially as adults are more self-conscious and will censor their own expression.”

Both Nissenbaum and Apostolidis agree on the need to be directional when helping to heal. Nissenbaum argues that effective therapy shouldn’t last more than two to three years, or else the therapist-patient relationship has become unhealthy and dependent. “I believe our second most powerful instinct, after survival, is a resistance to change. Sometimes people aren’t ready to do the work. They want a therapist for five or six years to support their being victims. I don’t work with sick people – I’m in the business of change. Normally, part way through the first session, I get the ‘deer in headlights’ look when the patient realises they’re going to be set specific goals and do homework between sessions.”

Apostolidis concurs: “You shouldn’t stay isolated from the world, holding hands with your therapist. You work so you can go back into the world and not keep doing the same thing. No-one gets to be how they are in one day and it can’t be undone that quickly either but you should gradually feel something shifting.”

Marisa Apostodolidis (Photo: Andy Donohoe)

Are there differences between practising in the States and here? “Actually, no,” says Apostolidis. “When I started practising, I thought I’d get all these cultural differences. Perhaps the one difference was with the ex-pats, some of whom had attempted a geographical cure for their problems. Generally, the issues are parents, kids, relationships – all the same stuff.” Nissenbaum expands: “It doesn’t make a difference what the culture is – people are people. Problems include life transitions, relationships, family, health or addictions. I’ve noticed that people are going through what we used to call a mid-life crisis 10-15 years earlier. This phenomenon knows no cultural barriers and is occurring in men and women across the board.”

What, then, of the question of the best language in which to do therapy? Nissenbaum doesn’t believe it makes a difference whether or not someone is a native English speaker, especially as many Europeans and South Americans begin learning English at such an early age. “I have two or three Argentine clients who are basically as fluent in English as I am,” he says. Perhaps what matters more than the client’s mother tongue is that of the therapist. “Some of my clients had tried to go to Argentine therapists who claimed they spoke English as a second language but found their level just wasn’t good enough.”

On the other hand, Apostolidis recalls an Afghani patient in New York who tried to see an English therapist but didn’t know enough language to communicate. She surmises that, whilst a certain level of fluency is essential, “it’s not necessarily better to do therapy in your own language. The assumption that a person would always rather speak their first language is wrong.  I know German and Swiss people who don’t know much Spanish so choose to do therapy in English, their second language. Equally, some speak Spanish very well but still choose English. Someone understanding you doesn’t have to do with whether or not they speak your first language.”

After all, in spite of the great emphasis placed on Freudian slips and suchlike, it is worth remembering that around 75% of communication is non-verbal. This includes body language, gestures and pauses as well as the literal meaning of ‘non-verbal’ – that which is not said, such as when a client forgets or purposely omits a detail. This non-verbal, however, requires the verbal in order to give it context and meaning.

Why might someone choose to do therapy in a language that is not their first? Apostolidis has some ideas. “In New York, I worked with Hispanic children and teenagers and for them, English was a way of separating from their families and finding their own identities. Also, Argentines who have lived abroad and returned sometimes choose to do therapy in English because they’ve been used to communicating in a language other than Spanish. They’ve lived a different experience and want to speak to someone who knows where they’re coming from. The unconscious is always finding ways to express itself and when you give it another language it takes advantage of the new material. It’s like the menu gets bigger and we have more choices of ways to say things. There’s a certain thrill that comes from adopting another language as a new currency of expression.”

Tell me more… (Photo by Thomas Locke Hobbs)

“One of the things that foreign visitors to any major city in Argentina find most surprising is the enormous presence of psychoanalysis in the urban culture. Anyone who questions the existence of the unconscious or of the Oedipus complex at a social gathering is made to feel as if he or she were denying the virginity of Mary before a synod of Catholic bishops.” Mariano Ben Plotkin quips in the introduction to his book ‘Freud in the Pampas’.

It is surprising that ‘Freud in the Pampas’ is one of the few academic works on the subject, considering that there are more psychoanalysts per person in Buenos Aires than any other city in the world. Palermo barrio also boasts an area called ‘Villa Freud’ because of its high concentration of shrinks!

Therapy in the capital is not merely relegated to the psychoanalyst’s chez longue, however. Many Argentines frequently consult a psychologist or take up alternative ‘new age’ treatments. Porteños in particular appear to relish divulging their most personal problems, and examining their friends’, over a cafe con leche of an afternoon.

Plotkin comments that “until recently Argentines themselves did not think the diffusion of psychoanalysis in their own country was worth studying. This lack of curiosity suggests that psychoanalysis has become so deeply rooted in the culture that for a long time it was simply a given, a part of an Argentina’s ‘world taken for granted’.” I found this concerning and wondered if Argentines’ compulsion to analyse was not a little unhealthy.

Dr. Andres Raskovsky, current president of the Argentine Psychoanalytic Association (APA), and son of one of its founders, does not think so. He points out that psychoanalysis originally developed within the immigrant community. It allowed the many Argentines who felt disconnected to their roots and confused about their identity to concentrate on “the search for origin and family history”. He joked: “They say that ‘the Mexicans are descended from the Aztecs, the Peruvians from the Incas and the Argentines from the boats!’”

However psychoanalysis has been most important to the country, according to Dr. Raskovsky, as a “questioning, intellectual revolutionary movement”. He explained, “along with my father [Dr. Arnaldo Raskovsky], Angel Garma, a Spaniard who came to Argentina fleeing from Franco’s Spain, was another of the founders. Shortly afterwards Marie Langer and Enrique Ferrari Hardoy came to Buenos Aires fleeing Nazism. They founded the APA and the movement characterised itself as a revolutionary one; fighting for freedom.”

Dr. Andres Raskovsky (Photo: Tomas Locke Hobbs)

Dr. Rascovsky believes that psychoanalysis served as an outlet under the military regime, when Argentina was very conservative and religious and considers that it maintains this role today in a country where people feel alienated from the political system and related institutions. He adds that “Argentine psychoanalysis acquired a more transgressive dimension… It wasn’t like in other countries. It organised a development of subjectivity and the search for freedom.”

Oscar Larmorgiar, a practising psychoanalyst, agrees that the therapy has found a niche in the country because it helps to manage the psychological pathologies from which Argentines, particularly, suffer. “Here in this revisionist and nostalgic society, where origin and identity are always being questioned, there is a strong desire to put things into words. Psychoanalysis, in this sense, has come to fulfil a more systematic and therapeutic version of the chat in the café or bar, which is already an important part of an Argentine’s nature.”

Interestingly, Larmorgiar likens psychoanalysis to another world renowned Argentine phenomenon: tango. He argues that Argentines’ need to vocalise the past is often apparent in the lyrics. He cites ‘Cambalache’ tango as an example, in which Enrique Santos Discepolo questions social order and warns that “he who doesn’t cry will never suckle”!

I confess that, even before reading this lyric, it had occurred to me that setting aside a couple of hours a week to whine about your problems could be considered self-indulgent, perhaps simply exacerbating them. Lamorgiar is convinced otherwise, claiming that psychoanalysis can allow someone to discover “their most intimate desire, to break free of parental constraints and at least a little from social constraints.”

He and Dr. Raskovsky argue that a session is not an opportunity to grumble, though it allows for talking freely. It is “a challenge, the most crucial pain that a person can undergo, because you have to remove your social mask and rid yourself of a way of being that you have used for some time.”

Dr’s office (Photo: Thomas Locke Hobbs)

Proof of the popularity and efficacy of psychoanalysis’ can be found – most importantly – in the patient. Emma Bolos, who psychoanalysed herself for ten years, argues that it is a difficult process because you must accept responsibility for yourself and for the decisions you make. She claims that psychoanalysis allows you to mature: you “no longer do things just to please others, for fear that they won’t love you. You discover what you truly want and work towards it.”

While the popularity of Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalysis has waned in other parts of the world, he is sincerely respected, along with disciple Lacan, in Argentina. Paula Altayrac and Elisabet Susella, the founders of the Psychoanalysts of the University of Buenos Aires Association, both believe that Freud is still revered, at least in part, because an important component of university psychology courses here focuses on his work.

Altayrac and Susella think that Freud’s psychoanalysis, enriched and modernised by Lacan, is the best method for resolving people’s emotional problems. “It is excellent as an antidote to the modern lifestyle, when everything has to happen so quickly and efficiently, everyone is deeply committed in their respective roles. Psychoanalysis takes on the role of slowing all this down a little.”

Alternative therapies popular in Argentina such as ‘gerstaltic’, ‘systemic’ and ‘group psychoanalysis’ – which can involve role playing emotionally charged situations – are considered derivations of Freud’s original work by Freudian and Lacanian psychoanalysts. However it is cognitive therapy, a branch of psychology, which currently poses most the threat to the traditionally popular practice.

Freud heavily influences therapy in Buenos Aires. (Photo: Thomas Locke Hobbs)

Eduardo Keegan, a psychology academic at UBA, believes cognitive therapy has gained popularity because it begins by addressing the concerns of the patient rather than reconstructing their past. Patients are given ‘homework’ assignments between sessions, which appears to be effective, at least in the short term, for treating common disorders such as depression, panic attacks and bulimia. Keegan points out that it is “more accepted by medical societies and insurance companies because it has proven its efficacy by means of careful empirical research”; not necessarily the case with many of the psychoanalytic treatments offered in Argentina.

His scepticism is strengthened by a conviction that psychoanalysis’ popularity owes something to Argentines’ whim for “all things French, particularly in the 60s”. It is also a “well paid career choice”, which sounds impressive, when its “complex subject matter is in fact fairly simple.”

Be it cognitive therapy or Lacanian psychoanalysis that floats your boat, Argentines certainly do not lack outlets to discuss their problems. While their inclination to share may scare many foreigners – and perhaps it is excessive – surely what is most important is whether it improves peoples’ quality of life. Emma Bolos claims that psychoanalysis has definitely done this for her; she now has a psychologically healthier outlook. Her commitment to the practice is unmistakable: “psychoanalysis is the one thing that I will continue doing till I die.”

Photo by Wellington Almeida

 

“When my mother died, I lost everything, I lost my house because I couldn’t afford to pay the rent, and I was living life between a hostel bed and the streets for almost five years. Arte sin Techo changed my life around,” explains 33–year-old Israel Silveria.

Established in 2003 and run by president Felicitas Luisi and secretary Gabriel Sodikman, Arte sin techo, (translated literally as ‘art without roof’) is a non- profit organisation which helps those who are homeless to regain shelter, as well as a healthy mind in order to transport them into a new and productive lifestyle.

Felicitas, who previously worked for the government of the city of Buenos Aires, said that she left her position to help Arte sin Techo because she wanted to make a change which she felt the government was not encouraging.

“Me and my team are strongly dedicated to changing the lives of homeless people and Arte sin Techo is the route to modifying some of their habits for the better.”

Providing housing solutions for those that come for help can be a very lengthy process, and sometimes one that is only temporary. However, Arte sin Techo strives to offer more then just a roof but rather a complete long-term change, getting participants back into the system. In order to give this to their hopefuls they have implemented a series of additional methods, which provide routine and a means of doing something constructive with their time.

Most people that seek the aid of Arte sin Techo spend almost a year undertaking what is called a ‘rehabilitation period.’ During this time they liaise with staff working on projects such as carpentry, painting, creating murals or developing their IT skills. The idea is to take away boredom and get their creative juices flowing, therefore upon their departure not only will they have some form of shelter, but also a recognised skill which can be used as a key to find work and live a sustainable lifestyle.

Members also participate in regular psychotherapy sessions designed to alleviate any negative implications of living on the streets that may have damaged their mind state.

“We want to change the way people on the streets view the world, erase their resentment, give them a positive mind state and make them start taking responsibility for their lives,” stresses Felicitas.

The workshops

This ‘routine’ – the main focal point of Arte sin Techo – is achieved during the workshops. The organisers are very stringent about implementing a set schedule into the lives of the homeless “to avoid them simply wasting their lives away,” says Gabriel. They initiate a strict 9am start each weekday to get participants working intensely on their chosen projects.

Photo by Wellington Almeida

 

“For me this was a great opportunity to learn new things, the workshops allowed me to invest in something that I was interested in, they kept me busy and gave me something enjoyable to do,” says Israel, who tested the organisation as a simple recommendation by a friend, and consequently used it as a tool to change his life around.

“Not only do the workshops act as a mechanism for biding time and doing something useful, but they also help with networking and building bridges between different people, allowing them to interact positively with others in similar situations,” says Gabriel.

Through repeated emphasis on the idea of giving those on the street something constructive to do with their time, one might begin to question whether many homeless people are just lazy, and that they often do nothing useful as a person.

But Israel helps to drain out those thoughts by explaining, “It’s not about being lazy I tried for months to find work but couldn’t find anything. Arte sin Techo, however gave me the spirit to fight which you can lose when you’re on the streets. It gave me my hope back, to fulfil myself, and feel comfortable as a person to regain trust in life, and that it was worth living again.”

“The idea of giving and charity is avoided,” Gabriel states, “this will only aggravate symptoms; we’re demanding and don’t let people coast along, not to say that they’re lazy, but often most people are hopeless and in that mind frame of ‘what’s the point?’ What we do therefore is treat them like equals and make them work, which is considered the ‘norm’ in society.”

Felicitas added quite honestly, that in fact “some people are lazy, but all in all, the majority of people have many psychological problems, no one ever has an easy solution to their issues and this can lead to them hesitating on where to start, what we do therefore is give them that push.

“In fact all the activities we do here, although they are very important, in reality they are excuses to analyse the behaviour of people to figure out what needs attention!”

Arte Therapy – the support behind the project

National statistics state that over 1,000 people are homeless in Buenos Aires, and found to be squatting on all corners of the city. “When any one of these thousand people come to us, we know they have many deep and emotional issues,” says Gabriel.

Photo by Wellington Almeida

Felicitas Luisi, President of Arte sin Techo.

Therefore the workers of Arte sin Techo believe that providing housing is one solution, and a great one too, but moreover, a factor that is equally important but often ignored is the psychological aspect that holds people back. “It is people’s negative thoughts, that stop them from reaching their full potential,” Felicitas says boldly, “[and] we try and erase them.”

The organisation provides group sessions which gives members the chance to speak about any issues they have, the most common discussion topics are about certain addictions that may have evolved. Talks therefore include various ways to stop drug and alcohol abuse, two of the key factors which prevent people from succeeding to a productive life style.

“Talks on other more deeper and personal issues are unravelled with me on a one to one session,” explains Gabriel, who is also a professional psychologist who dedicates his expertise towards improving the mentality of those who come to the organisation.

“I want to take, not give,” he continues. “Take fear away, take the mistrust away, and take the misery away!”

Pleased with their progress so far, Arte sin Techo prides itself on a 62% success rate which reflects the number of people who benefit from using the organisation as a ‘ticket back to life’. They transform from being miserable and on the streets, to productive respected members of society. “Many of them simply reunite with their families, find happiness through love, have work, have a home, and leave rehabilitated,” says Gabriel proudly.

“Now with what I can do, I can afford to pay the rent, I can eat, and am on a road to recovery,” says Israel. He spends his Fridays working at Arte sin Techo to help others who are in the same position as he once was, and spends his weekdays distributing flyers, which is enough to give him a life ‘with’ roof and food.

Funding and Support

The government of the city of Buenos Aires, although often criticised for its lack of intervention, has made great progress with Arte sin Techo. As well as providing small subsidies to actually fund the programme, they also aid with publicity to point people in the right direction and making them aware of what help is available. When people go to shelters in hope of spending time away from a rough night on the streets, the government then inform them of Arte sin Techo and how this organisation can help them fully turn around their life and provide a solution which involves long term stability.

“It’s taken five years, but we’re finally starting to work along side the government; it is their obligation after all, to provide help. The problem is they don’t often know how to deal with the homeless, and so working with us means we can provide our expertise, and they can provide their funding to make the project more successful,” says Felicitas, who is happy with this new relationship that has formed.

Photo by Wellington Almeida

 

Therefore through donations from the public, and selling the works of art that the homeless create, Arte sin Techo has been able to sustain the project until now but has even greater support to extend any plans which will further help people on the streets.

Throughout the week the art is put on display for people to simply enjoy it, or purchase anything they take a liking to. And then each Friday, a fundraiser consists of a variety of performances throughout the night, from theatre acts to people singing and dancing on stage. Felicitas explained that the aim is to get people to eat, drink and spend and enjoyable night at the Arte sin Techo base in Almagro. Therefore when people are inclined to make a donation afterwards, the idea is to make it seem less charitable and more like money well spent.

When I asked two members in the audience what they thought of the performance on a Friday night, the pair from the US responded: “We haven’t seen anything like this, it’s really magical. We were more then happy to spend our money here tonight, knowing that we have had a great time, and are also contributing to a good cause. Even if we didn’t actually buy a painting or work of art, simply enjoying a glass of wine, eating a great meal, and watching great talent meant that we helped the homeless in our own special way!”

“All we want to do is help”, says Gabriel, “but we can’t do it without support from other people. We have already changed the lives of so many people and will continue to do so. I think I can speak on behalf of everyone when I say it’s what we enjoy doing and it’s what we’re good at!”

For further information on Arte sin Techo either visit the website on www.artesintecho.org.ar or call directly to reception for any enquires on 4982 2436