Abstract

GOMES, Layla Raquel Silva; BRAGHETTO, Alyne Lopes; TSUCHIYA, Gustavo Yuzo  and  MORETTO, Maria Lívia Tourinho. The practice of psychoanalysts in emergency and survival contexts in Brazil. Rev. SBPH [online]. 2025, vol.28, n.spe1, e005.  Epub Nov 21, 2025. ISSN 1516-0858.  https://doi.org/10.57167/rev-sbph.2025.v28.esp_1.910.

Emergencies are situations marked by high severity and imminent risk of death. In such contexts, Psychology plays a key role in providing psychosocial care, considering both the traumatic potential of the event and the ongoing suffering of survivors. There is a close connection between emergencies and issues related to survival. Since 1987, the Technical References for psychologists’ work in the integrated management of risks, emergencies, and disasters have recognized the involvement of Psychology in developing intervention strategies. However, there is a lack of reports on the work of psychoanalysts in this field, even though Psychoanalysis addresses themes that are highly relevant to emergency contexts, suggesting possible contributions to clinical practice in these settings. This study conducted a literature review aiming to map the scientific production regarding the role of psychoanalysts in situations of emergency and survival in Brazil. Two electronic databases were used, with specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. After screening, the selected publications were organized into four categories and three subcategories. The analysis of the texts highlighted three key operators for psychoanalytic work in these contexts: listening, testimony, and the analytic act — all as supports for the subjectivation of the event. These elements appear during both the response and reconstruction phases, such as in body identification, farewells, immediate support, as well as in the follow-up of family members and participation in multidisciplinary discussions. It is concluded that treatment direction must consider temporality and the nature of the event, employing different strategies and clinical tools that prioritize the singularity of each case and territory. Given the small number of results found and the limited depth of articles focusing on psychoanalytic work in emergency and survival contexts, it is evident that this topic remains largely unexplored by the scientific community.

Keywords : Psychoanalytic clinic; Crisis intervention; Grief; Psychic trauma; Death attitude.

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