ABSTRACT
This chapter describes a self psychologically oriented therapy of a female patient with anorexia nervosa (AN). This case points out the development of the patient's selfobject needs and transformation from archaic to mature forms of selfobject transference, accompanying the patient's sustainable recovery. In particular, the idealizing selfobject need transformed from an archaic need to literally merge with an idealized selfobject to a long and sustainable relationship with a human selfobject. Similarly, the mirroring selfobject function transformed from zero tolerance to any distance, thereby bearing only experience-near interpretations, to the ability to tolerate and then welcome experience-distant interpretations; and eventually the capacity to independently interpret, understand and regulate emotions and behaviors.
