ABSTRACT
Those patients who present with problematic body narcissism use language that is concrete when speaking about the body. Analysts are trained to think and interpret in metaphor. When patients are speaking concretely about their bodies, analysts must linguistically attune to them. They should include in their remarks to their patients concrete references to what is revealed visually at the level of skin and clothing. Such interventions eventually promote the concrete patients’ capacity for symbolic thinking. Several clinical examples of ways to work with both men and women patients are given. Women usually are dissatisfied with their own bodies, men more often with the bodies of the women they are involved with. The latter can present countertransference difficulties for women analysts, especially when their male patients treat women as objects, disparaging their bodies. The symbolizing analyst must communicate concretely while thinking symbolically.
