ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the inclusion of a philosophical dimension into psychoanalysis too by Ronald Britton in his investigations into the mind’s belief-function. He suggests that what he calls ‘incursions’ into philosophy may arise not solely from the personal inclinations of the analyst but because psychoanalysis “necessarily finds itself exploring the areas of mental life that have been the concern of philosophers, theologians and poets”. Because Holzhey-Kunz had developed a method giving priority to the ontological anxiety of her patients she was able to recognise that Wilfred Bion, in one of his clinical accounts, had come close to recognising the existential significance of his patient’s special sensitivity. Bion’s patient had suffered an extraordinary and disabling dread stemming from the observation that his socks consisted of a series of holes knitted together. By 1973 Bion was clearly aware of his patient’s heightened sensitivity to ontological anxiety.
