ABSTRACT
This chapter is an attempt by a white psychotherapist to consider issues of racism and how they might impact on the work in the consulting room. There are two main features of this first statement that it emphasizes by way of introduction. The first is that intends to explore questions of difference in colour, and not issues of culture. The second is where the designation of this “racial other” provides a container for unwanted aspects of the psyche which are split off and projected. The chapter describes that the projection itself was experienced as a thought that was invasive and intolerable as it evoked shame, guilt, and anxiety. It discusses that the patient tried to resolve a dilemma by “confessing” the initial reaction and then making a speedy retreat from the subject. Shame and anxiety led her to avoid exploring the projective processes and their potential access into internal structures.
