ABSTRACT
The author tracks intensive therapy with a patient who felt haunted, both by her dead sister and by a part of herself which led a parallel life. She explores what relational therapy might look like in the consulting room through the lens of key themes such as bi-directional influence of patient and analyst, intersubjectivity and working with disassociation at relational depth. The author's first meeting with Yvonne took place in a consulting room within a shared clinic. Yvonne was moved as a young teenager back into foster care, which she believes saved her life. She remains in contact with her foster family. The author turned on the national news to see coverage of a protest march involving the deportation of an illegal immigrant family who were being offered sanctuary in a church. The members of the church community had made a human shield and the police were reluctant to use force to cross it in order to deport the family.
