ABSTRACT
For many writers the setting (holding) permits a regression that is a curative process. To understand the complex discussion that follows, it is advisable to restate the concept of regression itself, as Freud introduced it in The Interpretation of Dreams , where he distinguishes three types of regression: topographical regression; temporal regression; and formal regression. Many combinations can arise, although in practice most frequently the three types of regression appear together. Winnicott's ideas approximate to Kris, somewhat, in that they assume that the process of regression is useful, but they rely on other theoretical supports and arise out of his practice with psychotic patients. Winnicott's theory of curative regression raises various objections, two of them fundamental, that refer to the technique and the theory.
