ABSTRACT
SOME YEARS AGO, a young sculptor on the verge of critical acclaim was nearing the end of his analysis when he was suddenly overtaken by a wave of unprecedented bodily symptoms. His general malaise suggested the possibility of somatic illness, but he described his sensations so graphically (he was a man often able to use language almost as effectively as his pencil), in terms suggesting he was being drawn and quartered, that I urged him to explore the psychological context of his experience. His associations led to a phone call he just received from a collector who had recently purchased one of his large wooden constructions. The caller requested a slight modification of the manner in which this assemblage was put together in order to facilitate its installation in his home; at certain junctions where components of the piece were rigidly joined by metal plates, he requested the substitution of hinges that would allow for greater maneuverability. As the patient became aware that he experienced the prospect of separating various parts of his construction as if his own body were about to be dismembered, his painful somatic state abruptly disappeared.
