ABSTRACT
Children born with physical handicaps suffer a terrible burden. They are 'different'—often noticeably so—from their peers, with consequent impairment to the establishment of a healthy self-image. Frequently less mobile and unable to join in normal physical pursuits, they often suffer from chronic pain, both from the disability itself, as well as from corrective surgery. This chapter presents the case of David. David was born with club feet that had to be strapped up in restrictive adhesive plasters when he was just 2 days old. The therapist, then, has to act as a focus for the projections and, later, the introjections that are the necessary preconditions for any real change to take place. As therapy progressed, David's play and fantasy came to revolve more and more openly around his physical disability. Once the casts were off, David had 'visible' evidence that his legs were better, and the feeling that the operation was really a punishment was diminished.
