ABSTRACT
Elements of the frame are of primary concern in the conduct of analysis. In an analysis that proceeds well, they often become all but invisible as the context for work. When there is a sudden shift in the frame, our attention may be called unexpectedly to elements of the patient’s life and way of adapting that had been obscured behind the mask of the everyday. Such is the case in the following example of a shift in the frame, or perhaps more precisely in the mode of communication for the analysis, which highlights elements of transference and brings insight into the patient’s problems. This patient’s adaptation to the relational problems in her life consisted primarily of withdrawal from having any positive expectations from the important people in her life and this led to a chronically depressed attitude towards what life might bring. I had known that she was quite adept with computer technology, but had not appreciated how much of an investment she had made in this in a life otherwise devoid of passion or interest.
