ABSTRACT
what do we learn from this exposure to aspects of Michael’s analytic work, conducted in two pieces over six nonconsecutive years? How does this work contribute to our exploration of the role of the father in relation to conventional analytic concepts of trauma and derailment and to the function of play in the ongoing processes of restitution and repair? If we think of Michael as our guide, as I think we should, to what lands has he escorted us? First and foremost, a critical aspect of psychoanalytic data and theory is indisputably highlighted. Michael’s story, his analysis, his torments, and his resolutions are distinctly his. The idiographic declares itself emphatically; the nomothetic is to be extracted with the utmost caution and concern.
