ABSTRACT
In Banana Yoshimoto's 1989 novel about two adolescent girls, the main character, Tsugumi, says in what is apparently the last letter she will write to her best friend Maria, "I wonder all the time how, in spite of your stupidity, you-always seem to know the correct weight of everything; it must be a mystery". They recognize their ability to inject a special dimension into their communications which they feel to be beneficial to their well-being. Both the patient and Tsugumi say that being able to experience this special quality in their communications has enabled them to feel deeply understood. There is a particular mental dimension in her communications, unique to each mother–baby relationship, which has to do with the mother's ability to "explore" the various facets of her baby's more intimate experience, and to "compose" them in such a way that mutual understanding and growth are stimulated. A specific dimension in their internal and external communications had been temporarily destroyed.
