ABSTRACT
In 1950, Macalpine published a memorable paper on the nature of transference, in which she asserted that a regressive transference is not only inevitable, but is evoked and actually induced by forces inherent in the frame of the psychoanalytic process. Regarding the induction hypothesis, Macalpine spells out a series of specific transference forces, mobilized by the explicit and implicit analytic frame, which activate a pull towards a lower level of mental organization. This chapter describes that the regression concept should not be abandoned, but, in agreement with Rycroft, we feel the concept should also encompass the notion of desymbolization. Induced regression during the symbolizing phase is not only a subjective experience, but also becomes a communicative act. The constellations, when reached in moments of regression, signify not simply defences or a retreat to absolute dependency, but the inherent capacity for symbolic functioning and the creative.
