The Lacanian school of psychoanalysis (École lacanienne de psychanalyse, or "ELP") was created as a result of a double movement of approval and refusal: approval of the dissolution of the Freudian School of Paris (Ecole Freudienne de Paris, or "EFP"), refusal of Lacan's act of designating to his students a school indistinguishable from a part of his own family.

The impetus came from the review Littoral, whose first issue had appeared in June 1981. Standing apart from the groups that were forming, Littoral aimed at opening up the field of Lacanian studies by stressing the importance of critical transcriptions of Lacan's seminars, considering that Lacan's breakthrough had to be contemplated from the very first to the very last of his writings and lectures, and rejecting the Freudian-Lacanism mixtures that were then pervasive.

The limits linked to a publication - above all the impossibility of implementing the method of appointing psychoanalysts which Lacan had called the "passe" - led , in 1984, to the idea of creating a place of transmission in the form of a Lacanian (this was a simple fact, so why hide it?) school (no doubt on this point) of psychoanalysis (opinions on this were later to differ somewhat).

On November 17, 1985, the school was created. It counted 45 members, and began by deciding on two points that, over the years, were to largely influence its style.

1°) The "passe" was put into place by drawing, of course, from the "Proposal of October 1967" signed by Lacan, but dated … November 17, 1985. This shameless plagiarism marked a rupture: there would be no more School Analysts (Analystes de l'Ecole, "AE") or AMEs coming from the ex-EFP to appoint the "passeurs". It was then decided that any member could do it; this act would, for a limited time, involve him or her in the very functioning of the appointment of a school analyst. This reference to any member implied, without anybody hardly paying attention...

2°) A single status as member. Still today, the existence of a single status, which is more complex than it may appear at first, indirectly affects a number of the school's activities.

From the beginning of the ELP, some of its members resided in Latin America. Now, out of the 152 members, 82 live in Latin and Central America , resulting in a bilingualism that may be found in its publications and various activities.

Guy Le Gaufey