ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates the elusive presence of ghosts in the dramatherapy room. In 1975 Fraiberg’s ‘Ghosts in the nursery’ was published. The paper used two case studies of mother-infant relationships that required intervention. In both cases it seemed to be the mother’s history and relationships to her parents that were at the root of her inability to meet her infant’s needs. Attachment theory was first introduced by Bowlby as a way of explaining our natural inclination for forming ‘strong affectional bonds’ to certain individuals. The ‘internal working model’ (IWM) is an individual’s ‘blueprint’ mapping out their way of being in the world in relation to others. The parent-infant relationship also sets a precedent for the infant’s future relationships. Emotion and feeling can also be defined as two separate concepts, which take place in the body and mind, respectively. ‘Mentalisation’ is the ability to see how people are viewed by others as well as how others view themselves.
