ABSTRACT
The couple, Eric and Amanda, in their mid-forties, came to therapy because of incessant arguing which never led to any resolution and left them both feeling despairing. In contrast, Eric dressed neatly and appeared youthful. The most pronounced theme throughout the therapy was their anxiety and defensiveness about relating and sharing psychic space. Morgan and Abrahams had recourse to a repertoire of techniques to contain the couple, for whom inhabiting a shared psychic space felt like a threat. The archeological conception of psychoanalysis establishes a deep connection between the unconscious and memory. It is a conception about people and objects, about childhood experiences. At the beginning of therapy, Amanda offered herself to Eric as the object to be repaired in the relationship, which would make the relationship better. Eric sparked the idea of couple therapy, feeling bereft of "open-hearted love" and "excluded from Amanda's secret emotional and inner world.".
