ABSTRACT
This article presents an imaginary phenomenology of working with a young adult in psychotherapy. It is presented in two parts: Part 1 is a retrospective of meaning, and Part 2 is the case itself. The case indicates the intertwining and uncertainty of experience in therapy through the subjectivity of the therapist, a phenomenon which gives rise to something therapeutic. In Part 1, what emerges after reading the case over are some aspects of how we attach meaning in retrospect, which are explored through senses of differend, alienation, repression, fiction, and death. The young client especially it appears needs to find his own language of experience, without being crushed by the words (and presence) of others, but how this is possible seems fraught with difficulty How do we provide a safe space for a young person to speak and find their own way without imposing the co-ordinates of our own lives upon them? Perhaps one way is to be prepared to let go of our firm beliefs and ideas, without rancour, in the face of the energy and curiosity of youth.
