ABSTRACT
The psychoanalytic frame has been a concept that is understood and used across all schools of psychoanalysis regardless of individual allegiances or particular theoretical orientations. This chapter addresses cyberspace along with other new technologies as potential areas of play that provide opportunities to rehearse identity and selfhood. It argues for a psychoanalytic frame that is fluid and assembled interactively within a “transitional space” which may take many shapes and configurations while still providing containment and safety. The culture of psychoanalysis was borne within a scientific revolution that inquired into the nature of human motivation and looked to the nervous system to understand it. The implications for psychoanalysis are ripe with meaning, particularly as it applies to treatment that takes place in virtual reality. Cyberspace culture has already changed the way many people seek out help: many prefer to log onto therapy chat rooms or attend sessions via Skype or FaceTime, or even via text and email.
