ABSTRACT
Analytical psychotherapy is full of unexpected surprises. The process of analysis harnesses the remarkable power of the psyche to encounter, engage, unlock, survive, transform and heal. However, even though a meaningful relationship with another human being may feel unthinkably dangerous, the psyche will prod with nightmare, symptom or psychic pain until we listen to its voice within. One solution to the pain of uroboric identification is to create and control an "other". Some people may produce "others" in the form of children, whose birth might, sometimes catastrophically, crack the defensive ring. Or, if creating one's own flesh and blood feels impossible, creativity might find another outlet. Producing a company of "others", as self-objects in the form of artwork was the way Amanda had coped with her difficulties before she arrived in my consulting room.
