ABSTRACT
Chapter 1, “In the beginning”, begins with a portrait of conception, pregnancy, childbirth, and infancy. It utilizes the Bible’s creation story, “In the beginning …”, to portray the special psychology of this life phase. This approach will give the reader a feel of the emotional suffering of young families and the relevant psychotherapy for them. Two clinical vignettes: one of a woman in psychoanalysis; the other of a mother with a baby boy, where a nearly fatal catastrophe threatened their lives. The mother’s anguished memories of these events darkened the mother–baby relationship until therapy helped her realize and proceed beyond the gravity of what she had gone through.
