ABSTRACT
This chapter begins by asking why boundaries are important to the therapeutic process. The process occurring in the therapeutic space needs the protection of both concrete boundaries and the more intangible sense of containment. Almost all psychotherapeutic approaches utilize processes in the work similar to those of maternal containment. The therapeutic encounter aims for a time to keep out an important aspect of ordinary social life, the aspect that says, ‘It doesn’t matter’, or ‘in polite circles therapists won’t make a fuss’. Boundaries serve another protective function and that is in relation to the potential for strong emotions to be acted out. Boundaries remind both participants that, although highly intimate and personal, the therapeutic encounter must not include violence, social contact, or sexual behaviour. C. G. Jung’s understanding of the potential for the therapeutic process to affect and transform both participants led him to emphasize the necessity for the practitioner’s own personal therapy.
