ABSTRACT
Some psychotic conditions are characterized by the regressive revival of “sensorimotor” forms of thinking, in which some mental events are experienced in bodily terms and are tied to primitive concepts of space and time and to belief in omnipotent power. In the course of psychotherapy, such psychotic thinking may sometimes be understood as an unconscious defence against the mental pain that sane and self-reflective thinking can bring. When Conrad began to trust his therapist a little, he made it quite clear that he was very afraid of making contact with his feelings. With increasing capacity for doubt came depressive feelings. He began to express feelings of sadness, with momentary tearfulness, and spoke with remorse about having been so harsh to his therapist and other people for so long. The diagnosis of paranoid, or perhaps hebephrenic, schizophrenia had long been established, and his prognosis was regarded as poor.
