“So must we to others call”: anorexia, dissociation, and the analyst’s neglect

Now in her late 40s, Jill has been struggling with severe anorexia since her early 20s, rising above her usual 86-88 lb only a couple of times when hospitalized. Because I am discussing a particularly chronic and challenging case, I will not be describing towering, even moderate, therapeutic success. Instead, I hope to show how Jill and I have been able to make some small progress by working through a particularly daunting enactment which allowed her to come to know more about the crumbled-up inside her and to unspring herself a bit from her constrictive box.