This presentation will examine why the general public have been fascinated by the stage show the Phantom of the Opera. What is this numinous attraction it holds for so many of us. Is this just another example of our search for our soul mate? What does Eros want us to understand in this tragic romantic tale? Where does the role of Childhood trauma and unresolved mourning fit in with our choice of partners. Love is essential for the healthy development of the individual and early adverse life experiences and neglect or trauma can affect the Ego Self axis and profoundly distort the Individuation journey. This also highlights the magical desire we have for the other, conscious or unconscious, to heal our narcissistic wounds. These themes and those of unrequited love, the inner marriage will be explored and amplified through the drama of this story.
Dr. Wilkes is a medical graduate of Birmingham, England (1976). After completing a Pediatric and then Psychiatry residency, including a Fellowship in Affective Disorders in Dallas, he moved to Canada in 1987. He worked initially at Children's Mental Health Services in Lethbridge and in 1990 moved to Calgary to join the Department of Psychiatry as the Director of the Young Adult Program.
Dr. Wilkes is currently Section Chief of Outpatients of the Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Addictions Service, Calgary Zone, AHS. He is also the University of Calgary/Alberta Health Services Division Chief of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and a member of the Pediatric and Psychiatry faculties. He is an Associate Professor at the University of Calgary and Consulting Psychiatrist at the Young Adult Outpatient Service. He is President of the Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, a member of the Advocacy Committee and he is Chair of the Global Psychiatry Committee for the promotion of global children’s mental health. He is also Chair of the CACAP Conference Organizing Committee and Local Chair of the International Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists and Allied Professionals (IACAPAP) Meeting in 2016 in Calgary.
Dr. Wilkes is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. He is also a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists U.K. He was a Founding Member of the Calgary Jungian Association and Founding Member of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy. Dr. Wilkes completed training in hypnosis with the Society of Medical and Dental Hypnosis in Edinburgh and later recertified in Alberta with the Canadian Federation of Clinical Hypnosis. Dr Wilkes also completed training in Jungian Analysis whilst in Canada and is a member of the International Association of Analytic Psychology. He has presented locally and internationally on a variety of mental health issues including the role of hypnosis for treatment of psychiatric disorders. Dr. Wilkes' research and publications have been in the area of cognitive behavioral treatment of youth depression, suicide, affective disorders, post traumatic stress disorder, psychotherapy and mental health economics. Most recently he has been researching the role of adverse child events on mental health outcomes and the role of trans-cranial stimulation for depression in youth.