ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses some aspects of play in adult analysis. In child analysis play is nearly always in evidence, but in adult analysis one expects to be able to leave play and to rely on dreams and hallucinations and fantasying. Occasionally one hears of adult patients who are seen through a sticky patch by being given child-analysis toys which they manipulate over a phase and which enables the analyst to interpret in silent periods. The student quite rightly made the interpretation that the patient could see the value of play. On one occasion a patient of mine came without having had coffee on the way and was in a dither about wanting coffee and feeling the whole hour would be wasted. In the circumstances it is understandable that the student neglected to continue on the subject of play and became bogged down in the material of the free associations which indeed were important on their own account.
