ABSTRACT
This chapter exemplifies the growing self of a 27-year-old female patient with anorexia nervosa (AN), bingeing-purging type, throughout a psychodynamic self psychologically oriented therapy. The developing mirroring selfobject transference and the therapist's empathic responds and attunement to the patient's selfobject needs, gradually allowed the patient to identify, express and work through feelings of self-guilt, exploitation and anger. In turn, the strengthening self enabled the therapist to move from an experience-near stance to a somewhat more experience-distant position, showing the patient her guilt upon requiring things for herself. The therapist not only mirrored the patient's inability to take, but gradually challenged the patient to give, not as a selfless selfobject to others, but as an act of taking up space in the world.
