ABSTRACT
This book testifies to the importance of psychoanalytic work with adult patients who, while having reached a certain level of personality development, maintain autistic residuals in the unconscious mind. These experiences are hidden behind neurotic, borderline or psychotic mental organizations, and emerge following severe trauma or relationship breakdowns during acute depersonalization crises.
One of the main difficulties in the therapy is the alternation of regressive ‘non-being’ parts and parts that have become structured around defence mechanisms; these patients’ need for the therapist’s understanding and proximity is mixed with their contempt and rejection; another major difficulty is posed by the absence of a process of symbolization.
This type of relationship determines oscillations in the countertransference, which on one hand forces the analyst to look within herself and on the other hand poses the challenge of processing these elements in a way that can lead to a therapeutic attitude.
The possibility of continuing the analysis until real affective communication can take place, thus creating a fertile exchange of thoughts, leads to a new mind-set and cohesion of the Self: only then can the patient develop new hope for the continuation of his life.
