ABSTRACT
Freud originally conceived of words as concealing a magical power belonging to their very origin. He considered them nothing less than the substitute for the act; words then were considered to be magical actions. This chapter illustrates the magical power of words in psychoanalysis, relying on the work of Bollas and French analyst Dominique Clerc. The talking cure is rooted not only in the magic contained in words that are spoken but also in the presence of a listener whose particular attention is summoned by them. Words traverse the border between the conscious and the unconscious, bringing with them the power of drive, affect and the body.
