2016 Articles

Gaze of Grace: Revisiting the Immaculate Conception in Light of DW Winnicott’s Concept of Maternal-Infant Mirroring

Berne, Elizabeth

Studying under Ann Ulanov in the Department of Psychiatry and Religion at Union Theological Seminary was an opportunity to bring depth psychology and theology together in a way that fed my soul for eight years. Dr. Ulanov’s interdisciplinary methods as a teacher left room for the world of religion and the world of psychoanalysis to be explored and appreciated separately, and each for their own strengths. Yet there was always a powerful discovery to be made when psychological insight met theological wisdom. Her vast and still growing body of written work testifies to the many ways Dr. Ulanov has brought the two fields together. As a teacher, Ann has seemed to revel in the unique ways her students find and explore connections between the two disciplines. In my particular case, studies with Ann have nurtured a passion for conversation between psychoanalytic theory, Catholic faith, and the Hebrew Bible.