ABSTRACT
We are indebted to Thomas Ogden for the concept of the analytic third. It refers to the intermediary, intersubjective analytic space that emerges between an analyst and a patient through a process of unconscious exchange during a session. The analytic third is a space where thoughts, fantasies and affects that may have otherwise remained silent are mobilised and manifested. Although it emerges from a process of co-creation, the form and content of this “third” element are primarily determined by the patient's internal object world, his unconscious fantasies and defence system. This notion is reminiscent of the concepts of potential space of D.W. Winnicott (1960) and the analytic object of Andre Green (1975).
