Psychoanalysis in the public square, listening without walls Psychoanalysis in the public square: listening without walls

Abstract

The text presents the experience of the collective Psicanálise na Praça, which offers free psychoanalytic sessions at Praça XV, in downtown Florianópolis, as well as online. Written collaboratively, the article discusses how analytic listening is reconfigured in public space, shaped by unexpected encounters, social diversity, and everyday interruptions. The collective’s practice challenges the notion that psychoanalysis must remain confined to the private consulting room, advocating instead for an open, ethical, and accessible clinic. Reports from the analysts highlight the challenges of listening to subjects in distress amid the dynamics of the square. Drawing on authors such as Lacan, Freud, Elias, and Broide, the text argues that being present in public space fosters the emergence of the desire for analysis and expands the psychoanalytic field. It concludes that the square, with its “anomalies” and unforeseen events, constitutes a diverse and democratic setting where the collective invests in building bonds and offering a space of listening for those who seek to be heard.