Christopher Bollas

Il presente lavoro intende far emergere le peculiarità del processo di soggettivazione di un gemello rispetto ad un nato singolo. Al fine di ciò, è stata posta la vita prenatale della coppia come oggetto d’indagine, in quanto ritenuta la primaria fonte di esperienza dell’Altro e il nucleo centrale dello scarto tra gemello e fratello.

This article focuses on Lars von Trier’s 2011film, Melancholia,described as ‘a beautiful film about the end of the world’ and interlock-ing personal and global tragedy. Drawing directly on her personal emotional response to the film, and referring to her profound incapacity to talk about it for many years after an initial encounter with it, the author turns to a range of object relations psychoanalytic thinkers to consider what such experience has to say about lived emotional relationships to cinema, and its role in shaping and articulating psychological, and affective states. The article touches on debates about the cinematic gaze, and the role of film as a psychological object, and considers whether film might be seen as offering a form of therapeutic encounter for viewers.

RESUMEN
La función de espejo del rostro materno se constituye en un nudo cardinal de la red conceptual de Winnicott, donde confluyen varios hilos muy destacables  de su urdimbre teórica. Entre ellos los que corresponden a la dependencia, el desarrollo, la paradoja, lo transicional y el self.
SUMMARY
In the mirroring function of the mother, which constitutes a cardinal theoretical concept in Winnicott´s work, many of his most outstanding ideas

This article discusses the psychological violence at the heart of "dialogue initiatives" in the Israel-Palestine "conflict." This article focuses as an example one program called Moving Beyond Violence, that documents the work of Combatants for Peace.  Created by Iriss Singer, the program invites relational psychoanalyst Jessica Benjamin to analyze the experience of two figures, Itimar Shapira (a Jewish Israeli) and Bassam Aramin (a Palestinian from the West Bank). In examining the application of her theory of "the Moral Third" and "Third Space" (and "doer and done to"),  this article demonstrates how "dialogue initiatives" (although well-meaning) act a means to legitimate the historical and subjective grievances of the Palestinian people. In turn, these initiatives, in fact, work to establish an "extractive introjection" (in Bollas' words) or a "colonial introjection" (in Lara Sheehi's words), thereby robbing the Palestinian partner in these dialogues of their humanity, historical rights, and demand for true reparation and repair.

An Anthropology of the Other in Me. Christopher Bollas' Unthought Known

Departing from Freud’s image of the shadow of the object that fell upon the ego, Bollas discovers an inexhaustible source for his own ideas, unfolding a myriad of meaningful and creative contributions to contemporary psychoanalysis. Following a tradition in psychoanalysis that emphasizes the role of the environment in psychic constitution, Bollas turns to the main aspects of classical Psychoanalysis theory, either proposing new concepts or invigorating those already well established. Without committing to the easy solution of opposing intrapsychic and intersubjective conceptions about the psyche, he rather keeps them in a permanent and fertile dialogue. This paper, an introductory one, presents some of his major conceptions about the role of the other in the constitution of the silent – though evocative – roots of the unconscious in its structural dimension.

A partir da imagem concebida por Freud, da sombra do objeto que cai sobre o Eu, Bollas descobre uma fonte inesgotável de recurso para suas próprias ideias, desdobrando uma miríade de contribuições criativas e significativas para a psicanálise contemporânea. Seguindo uma tradição na psicanálise voltada para o papel do ambiente na constituição do psiquismo, Bollas faz o retorno aos principais temas do corpo teórico clássico da Psicanálise, propondo conceitos novos ou reanimando aqueles já bem estabelecidos. Sem cair na solução fácil de opor as concepções intrapsíquicas e intersubjetivas do psiquismo, faz um diálogo fecundo entre elas, colocando-as em diálogo permanente. Neste artigo, de caráter introdutório, apresentarei algumas de suas concepções sobre o papel do outro na constituição das bases silenciosas – porém evocativas – do inconsciente em sua dimensão estrutural.

« Ce livre est consacré aux défis soulevés par le travail auprès de personnes en thérapie ou en analyse qui, soudainement ou progressivement, indiquent des signes d’effondrement, qui pour différentes raisons, ne peuvent être traités par une approche clinique ordinaire » (2013a, p.1-2) . C’est ainsi que Christopher Bollas engage son nouvel ouvrage au titre évocateur « Catch them before they fall, The Psychoanalysis of Breakdown ». Si pour l’auteur « aucune psychanalyse n’est ordinaire » (Ibid., p.103), sans doute pouvons-nous considérer qu’il n’est pas non plus un auteur ni un analyste ordinaire. Dans ce court essai, particulièrement audacieux et novateur, Christopher Bollas aborde avec son style si personnel, la question des aménagements du cadre des cures analytiques pour les patients « au bord de l’effondrement » [on the verge of breakdown]. Lorsqu’au cours d’une thérapie ou d’une analyse un patient est sur le point de s’effondrer, lorsque que le risque de décompensation émerge, l’hospitalisation et la médication prennent alors souvent le relais de l’analyse.    (...)

The existing body of psychoanalytic literature relating to the process of
making visual art does not include formal studies of first-hand reports from
contemporary artists. This thesis addresses that gap through the creation
of a new series of artworks and through a qualitative study of artists’
accounts of the states of mind they experience as they work. It aims to
provide new evidence relating to the artist’s creative process and to
question the extent to which psychoanalytic theory in the Winnicottian
tradition can account for artists’ experiences.
My methodology was two-fold: I kept a written record of my own states of
mind as I created six video, installation and animation artworks; I also
conducted thirty in-depth interviews with professional fine artists. The
testimony of the artists and myself was interrogated using psychoanalytic
theory from the Winnicottian and British Object Relations tradition.
Winnicottian theory was chosen because it offers a particular
understanding of the inter-relationship between inner and outer worlds
and the thesis considers the artist’s process in these terms.
Drawing on Winnicottian theory, the thesis presents the artist’s process as
a series of interconnected and overlapping stages in which there is a
movement between the artist’s inner world, the outer world of shared
‘reality’ and the spaces between. The research reveals aspects of artists’
experiences that are not fully accounted for by the existing literature. To
address these gaps, the thesis proposes the introduction of several new
terms: ‘pre-sense’ for an as-yet undefined first intimation of the possibility
of a new artwork relating to a particular aspect of the outside world;
‘internal frame’ for a space within the artist’s mind, specific to a particular
medium, which the artist ‘enters’ when starting work; and ‘extended self’
and ‘observer self’ for two co-existent self-states that constitute the artist’s
working state of mind.

Ce texte propose une présentation de la notion de caractère à partir des travaux de Christopher Bollas. Le caractère est ici considéré comme le moyen d’expression de l’idiome humain, le noyau du vrai « self ». Le caractère est aussi porteur de formes inconscientes qui se déploient dans toute relation. Ces formes qui se communiquent (relation inter-formelle) viennent s’associer et complexifier l’idée de relations basées sur des communications de contenus (relations intersubjectives). Ces deux formants ouvrent l’accès à une écoute enrichie au sein de la relation analytique, permettant la prise en compte du fond structurant le narcissisme primaire tel qu’il s’exprime dans l’actuel.

Mots-clés
caractère self idiome forme communication inconsciente narcissisme primaire

Idiom, self and character. Understanding character based on Christopher Bollas’ writings

This text gives a presentation of the notion of character based on the works of Bollas. Character is considered here as the means of expression of the human idiom, the core of the true’self’. Character is therefore the bearer of unconscious forms that unfold in every relationship. These forms that communicate with each other (interformal relations) are combined and add complexity to the idea of relations based on content-based communications (intersubjective relations). These two elements open the way to a listening that is enriched in the analytic relationship, allowing consideration to be given to the foundation that structures primary narcissism as expressed in the actual.

Keywords
character, self, idiom, form, unconscious, communication, primary narcissism


Deutsch

    Das Idiom, das Selbst und der Charakter. Betrachtungen zum Charakter ausgehend von den Schriften von Christopher BollasDer vorliegende Artikel stellt einen Charakterbegriff vor, der von den Arbeiten von Christopher Bollas ausgeht. Der Charakter wird hier als Ausdrucksmittel des menschlichen Idioms, dem Kern des wahren „Selbst“betrachtet. Der Charakter ist auch der Träger von unbewussten Formen, die sich in jeder Beziehung entfalten. Diese Formen kommunizieren wechselseitig (interformelle Beziehungen), verbinden sich untereinander und führen zu einer komplexeren Vorstellung von Beziehungen, die auf der Kommunikation von Inhalten basieren (intersubjektive Beziehungen). Diese beiden Formanzien eröffnen ein erweitertes Zuhören in der analytischen Beziehung, indem sie es ermöglichen, die strukturbildende Grundlage des primären Narzissmus, so wie er sich im Aktuellen ausdrückt, zu berücksichtigen.

Schlagwörter
Charakter Selbst Idiom Form Unbewusste Kommunikation Primärer Narzissmus

Español

    El idioma, el self y el carácter. Aprehensión del carácter a partir de los escritos de Christopher BollasEste artículo presenta la noción de carácter a partir de los trabajos de Christopher Bollas. El carácter es considerado como el núcleo de expresión del idioma humano, el núcleo del verdadero “self”. El carácter también es portador de formas inconscientes que se despliegan en cualquier relación. Dichas formas se comunican (relación informal), se asocian y vuelven compleja la idea de relaciones basadas en comunicaciones de contenidos (relaciones intersubjetivas). Ambos formantes abren el acceso a una escucha enriquecida en el seno de la relación analítica, y posibilitan la consideración del fondo estructurador del narcisismo primario como se expresa en lo actual.

Palabras claves
carácter self idioma forma comunicación inconsciente narcisismo primario

Italiano

    L’idioma, il self e il carattere. Considerazioni sul carattere a partire dagli scritti di Christopher BollasQuesto testo propone una presentazione della nozione di carattere a partire dai lavori di Christopher Bollas. Il carattere viene qui considerato come l’espressione dell’idioma umano, il nucleo del vero “self”. Il carattere è anche portatore di forme inconsce che si dispiegano in ogni relazione. Queste forme che si comunicano (relazione interformale) vengono ad associarsi e a rendere più complessa l’idea di relazioni basate sulle comunicazioni di contenuti (relazioni intersoggettive). Questi due formanti aprono l’accesso ad un ascolto arricchito in seno alla relazione analitica, che permette di tener conto del fondo che struttura il narcisismo primario cosi’ come si esprime nell’attuale.

Parole chiave
carattere self idioma forma comunicazione inconscia narcisismo primario

Neste trabalho, procuro discorrer sobre a função de continência existente nos traços e formas, ressaltando o caráter negativado dos gestos que os produzem. A referência, aqui, é o conceito de trabalho do negativo, de André Green. O texto, contudo, segue por outras vias teóricas, discutindo com autores como Susan Isaacs, Christopher Bollas e Luis Cláudio Figueiredo, enfatizando o período originário da constituição psíquica. Com isso, destaco a relação entre a dimensão continente dos traços e formas dos produtos culturais humanos e o momento de constituição dos processos primitivos do cuidado humano, em que o corpo, com sua dimensão de intensidades, é mediado pelos cuidados e características idiossincráticas do objeto primário. Se traço e forma são continentes, é só porque evocam essa capacidade transitiva do gesto, essa ‘formatividade’ – apenas ela é capaz de dar um contorno à experiência crua do corpo. A continência, além disso, evoca a necessidade de tolerância de certo grau de dor ou frustração, para que a experiência de criar gestos possa ser introjetada no início de vida. Faço uma breve discussão a partir de minha experiência com o taichi-chuan, sendo seu conceito de “forma” evocado para a discussão aqui. Por fim, aponto o lugar de convergência entre função de continência, a abertura criativa do gesto negativado, e mediação dos processos primários e das pulsões no corpo primitivo: constituir para o sujeito a possibilidade de separação dentro/fora, eu/outro, assim como a capacidade de realizar gestos, de criar continências ele próprio.

Nachträglichkeit Nachträglichkeit der Verräumlichung Die Dinge liegen nicht einfach vor uns, wir wer-den ihrer in einem Prozess der vielfachen Ver-schränkung mit der Welt erst gewahr. Doch wenn wir sie uns dann gegenüberstellen können, tritt dieser Prozess in den Hintergrund. Unsere Wahr-nehmung und unser Denken sind den Phäno-menen insoweit immer nachträglich. Zeit lässt sich ohne Verräumlichung kaum denken. Aber jede Verräumlichung bedeutet auch eine Unterbrechung im Zeitfluss, zumindest ein vorübergehendes Einhalten, einen Rhythmus. Die Fixierung dessen, was sich als Prozess vollzieht, kann man als Gedächtnis bezeichnen. Gedächtnis ist zweifach bedingt: Da es etwas sein muss, das sich von der Gegenwart unterscheidet, setzt es eine doppelte Verräumlichung voraus. Zunächst eine Verräumlichung, in der das eine gewisse Form von Fixierung bekommen hat, was einmal war, und dann eine Verräumlichung, von der aus dieses Vergangene als Gegenstand oder Gegenüber gesehen wird. Mehr noch: Wenn das, was ver-gangen ist, überhaupt einen Bezug auf das haben soll, was Gegenwart ist, wenn es zwischen diesen beiden Verräumlichungen eine Beziehung geben soll, dann muss es auch eine Dimension dessen geben, was als Differenz oder als Zwischen wahr-nehmbar oder zumindest wirksam ist. Wären beide Verräumlichungen identisch, gäbe es ebenso wenig Zeiterfahrung wie dann, wenn beide Räume nichts miteinander zu tun hätten. Wenn Zeit also etwas mit der Differenz zwischen zwei Verräumlichungen zu tun hat und ohne sie nicht denkbar ist, dann muss es auch eine Idee dieser Differenz geben. Sie mag als Veränderlichkeit oder als Bewusstsein von Zukunft beschreibbar sein. Ein Bewusstsein von Zeit kann also nur entstehen, wenn es zumindest zwei Bewegungen des Denkens vollzieht, eine Be-wegung, die sich auf das bezieht, was als Verräum-lichung statthatte, und eine Bewegung, die sich auf das bezieht, was als Verräumlichung statthaben könnte. Man könnte zuspitzen, dass die Erfahrung von Zeit deshalb immer nachträglich ist, weil der Stillstand, über den wir auf Zeit schließen können, immer eine Abwesenheit von Zeit als Veränderung und Fluss voraussetzt. Diese Grundstruktur unserer Zeiterfahrung als Selbsterfahrung ebenso wie als Organisation unseres Lebens lässt sich wohl bis in die Anfänge unseres modernen Denkens über Zeit verfolgen. Sie ist auch im Spiel, wenn Edmund Husserl die Erfahrung der Zeit an die Bewegungen der Retention und der Protention knüpft. Solange nun das Argument immer noch auf eine Gegenwärtigkeit bezogen bleibt, tendiert es dazu, das Vergangene als etwas Fixiertes und Abgeschlossenes, die Zukunft als etwas zeitlich Getrenntes zu denken. Bei Husserl wird das Bewusstsein der Zeit auf eine Gegenwär-tigkeit des Subjekts bezogen, zu der konstitutiv auch der Zeithorizont gehört, von dem die Retention als »Kometenschweif« [Husserl 1966, 30, 35] ein Teil ist, wie er 1905 in seinen Vorlesungen zur Phä-nomenologie des inneren Zeitbewusstseins« notiert, und der gegenüber es noch eine »nacherzeugende, wiederholende Erinnerung« gibt [ebd., 37]. Es kommen auch Erinnerungen (Erinnerung und Gedächtnis, s.d.) vor, die nur auftauchen, so etwa als ob »wir auf das Erinnerte in einem Blitzstrahl hinsehen, wobei das Erinnerte vage ist« [ebd.]. Jedoch bleibt das Subjekt mit seinem Bewusstsein das Zentrum, es ist die einzige aktive Distanz, sich selbst im Prinzip gegenwärtig. Insoweit gibt es auch nur eine Zeit des Subjekts, es gibt nicht mehrere autonome Zeiten, die in der Subjektivität, seiner Erfahrung oder seinen mentalen Prozessen wirksam sind. Doch genau diese Ahnung einer Uneinheitlichkeit der Zeiten im Subjekt gehört zu dem, was Sigmund Freud ein gutes Jahrzehnt vor Husserl dazu bewogen hat, über die Temporalität des Psychischen nachzudenken. Wie ist es möglich, dass ein und derselbe Apparat in zwei Zeiten, in zwei Prozessualitäten arbeitet? Ist es vielleicht gar so, dass die Psyche als ein Zusammenhang polychroner Zeitlichkeiten (Polychronie, s.d.) zu verstehen ist?

The high-rise not only gives a recognizable image to urban space, but also represents a mode of living in the big city. This paper concentrates on the representation of Milan through the high-rise in post-World War II film. Images from films ranging from Ragazze d’oggi (Luigi Zampa. 1955) to Milano Nera (Gian Rocco and Pino Serpi, 1961) and La Notte (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1961) will be discussed. Representation is understood here as a model for living in the city, so that the built goes beyond the strictly material. It is through film that the cultural associations present in the image of the skyscraper can be acted out.  These associations are approached as dream-like narratives in which spaces are layered. The new projects over the old, which remains present and at times visible, depending upon the perspective given.

Psychoanalysis began over a century ago as a treatment for hysteria and it has recently turned its attention to hysteria once again.  Provocative and original, The Dove in the Consulting Room engages critically with psychoanalysis—and in particular with the phenomenon of hysteria’s return to analysis—from a Jungian perspective, asking such questions as:

*  What role does the concept of hysteria play in psychoanalysis?

*  What does it say about the concept of the soul, and about analytical culture?

*  Does the spiritual aspect of the unconscious have any place in psychoanalysis, the dove any place in the consulting room?

The Dove in the Consulting Room is illuminating reading for the professional analyst and for anyone interested in the spiritual and cultural importance of psychoanalysis and analytical psychology.

In this essay, I explore the political significance of depression, particularly as a prominent form of resistance to conditions of life under contemporary global capitalism. After noting the political context of the second beatitude, which suggests a form of mourning that bears witness to public suffering, I assert that under the current dominance of the disease model, depression has lost its political voice. This loss is of grave concern given evidence that the culture of late capitalism (neoliberalism) has initiated a global epidemic of depression. I reframe depression as the final cry of souls diminished under these conditions. Finally, I denote the qualities of such souls, illustrating with a pastoral psychotherapy case summary. A dream presented during the termination phase not only provides a clinical presentation of the attributes of souls under neoliberal governance, but suggests how voice may ultimately be restored even when depression has become unconscious.
Keywords: Depression, Melancholy, Neoliberalism, Capitalism, Political resistance, Soul

This forthcoming paper draws attention to some possible unconscious processes that might occur in the transference /counter-transference work with a severely depressed patient - especially when things seem stuck at an impasse, and the patient seems to have withdrawn into painful silences.
Some  material from psychotherapy  with a young women who had been abused intrusively by her father when she was a young child is discussed, with a view to highlighting some hitherto obscure aspects of an infant's psychological use of the Father - particularly in relation to the capacity for experimentation and exploration in imaginative thinking and the enjoyment of a fantasy life, as a prelude to adult sexuality.
Some common counter-transference traps and technical difficulties receive some speculative comments - as do some ideas about the formation of creative, experimental states of mind in adult intimate relationships.
Melanie Klein thought that projective identification could have its positive aspects, when used as a basis for empathy - the (Shakespearean) capacity to imagine oneself into the psyche of an Other.
But, this is only possible for the child in a spirit of play and adventure and safety - beyond the sometimes intrusive thoughts or actions of a disturbed parent, or parent figure.

En réfléchissant à la « fabrication des interprétations », l’auteur propose une présentation de différentes modalités d’intervention en thérapie d’enfant. Ceci conduit à proposer l’idée d’une « interprétation processuelle » ou d’une « dialectique interprétative » correspondant à un registre qui se situe entre l’intervention sur le jeu et celle dans le jeu. Jouer, dans la relation analytique avec l’enfant, peut permettre de mobiliser une « identification régressive » chez l’analyste. Cette identification régressive est un processus permettant l’émergence d’une dynamique relationnelle où l’enfant peut ainsi librement utiliser le thérapeute comme un objet non subjectif. Ceci ouvre des voies d’accès pour l’analyste à certains processus psychiques chez l’enfant autrement non accessibles.

Mots-clés: Interprétation Psychanalyse d’enfant Jeu Transitionnalité Identification régressive

English

    From the child’s play to the psychoanalyst at play Reflecting on the “fabrication of interpretations”, the author gives a presentation of different forms of intervention in child therapy. This leads him to put forward the idea of a “processual interpretation” or an “interpretative dialectic” corresponding to a register that is located between the intervention on the play and that in the play. Playing, in the analytic relationsionship with the child, can help to mobilize a “regressive identification” in the analyst. This regressive identification is a process that permits the emergence of a relational dynamic in which the child can freely make use of the therapist as a non-subjective object. For the analyst, this opens paths of access to certain psychic processes in the child that would otherwise remain inaccessible.

Keywords : Interpretation Child psychoanalysis Play Transitionality Regressive identification

Deutsch

    Vom Spiel des Kindes zum Psychoanalytiker im Spiel Der Autor unterbreitet seine Überlegungen zur „Fabrikation von Deutungen“ und stellt verschiedene Modalitäten der Intervention in der Kindertherapie vor. Er legt die Idee einer „prozessualen Deutung“ oder einer „deutenden Dialektik“ nahe, die er auf einer Ebene zwischen der Intervention über das Spiel und der im Spiel ansiedelt. Das Spielen in der analytischen Beziehung mit dem Kind kann die Mobilisierung einer „regressiven Identifikation“ beim Analytiker ermöglichen. Diese regressive Identifikation ist ein Prozess, der die Entstehung einer Beziehungsdynamik schaffen kann, die es dem Kind ermöglicht, den Therapeuten ungezwungen als ein nicht subjektives Objekt zu benutzen. Dies öffnet dem Analytiker Wege zu sonst nicht zugänglichen psychischen Prozessen beim Kind.

Stichwörter: Deutung Kinderanalyse Spiel Übergangsgeschehen Regressive Identifikation

Español

    Del juego del niño al psicoanálisis en juego Reflexionando sobre la “fabricación de interpretaciones”, el autor ofrece una presentación de diferentes modalidades de intervención en terapia de niños. Esto lo conduce a proponer la idea de una “interpretación procesal” o de una “dialéctica interpretativa” que se corresponde con un registro situado entre la intervención sobre el juego y en el juego. Jugar, en la relación analítica con el niño, puede permitir movilizar “una identificación regresiva” en el analista. La identificación regresiva es un proceso que posibilita la emergencia de una dinámica relacional en la que el niño podrá entonces utilizar libremente al terapeuta como un objeto no subjetivo. Esto abre vías de acceso para el terapeuta en ciertos procesos psíquicos en el niño, de otra manera no accesibles.

Palabras claves:  Interpretación Psicoanálisis de niños Juego Transicionalidad Identificación regresiva

Italiano

    Dal gioco infantile allo psicoanalista in gioco Riflettendo alla « fabbrica delle interpretazioni », l’autore propone una presentazione di diverse modalità di intervento nella terapia infantile. Cio’ conduce a proporre l’idea di un’ “interpretazione processuale” o di una “dialettica interpretativa” che corrisponde a un registro che si colloca tra l’intervento sul gioco e quello nel gioco. Giocare, nella relazione analitica col bambino, puo’ permettere di mobilitare un’ “identificazione regressiva” nell’analista. Questa identificazione regressiva è un processo che permette l’emergenza di una dinamica relazionale in cui il bambino puo’ cosi’ liberamente utilizzare il terapeuta come un oggetto non soggettivo. Cio’ apre delle vie d’accesso per l’analista a certi processi psichici nel bambino altrimenti non accessibili.

Parole chiave: Interpretazione Psicoanalisi infantile Gioco Transizionalità Identificazione regressiva

Taking Freud's "Creative Writers and Daydreaming" as a starting point, the paper draws on interviews with contemporary artists to trace the trajectory of the artist's creative process. It critiques Freud's paper in the light of the writings of other psychoanalysts including Donald Winnicott, Marion Milner and Christopher Bollas.

This article examines how ‘dialogue initiatives’ function as the psychic extension of Israel's Apartheid closure system and as an act of ‘extractive introjection.’ The article pays particular critical attention to the political and psychological fallacies offered by the theoretical concept (or phantasy) of ‘third space,’ which purportedly provides a possibility for ‘co-created’ space that extricates victim and victimized from their binary relationship. Rather, the author proposes that ‘third space’ facilitates Israelis’ theft of Palestinian individual and collective psychic life. In response, the author posits that sumud, or acts of refusal and ‘stalwartness,’ functions as a psychological means of defending against these assaults within the dehumanizing spatial, material, and social realities of Israel's closure system in the West Bank and Gaza.

Some psychotherapy patients are in great need of help and understanding, but the nature of their traumatic emotional experience inclines them to settle into lengthy uncomfortable silences, which are very difficult to handle, technically and emotionally.
By exploring the nature of their psychological fears of exploring and experimenting, which have often been severely curtailed or inhibited, it is possible to evolve an idiosyncratic technique of working effectively with such patients.
It is neither easy or impossible work - but the deficits of exploratory playfulness and adventurous "experimental" thinking can be somewhat overcome.
The implications for the origins of this experimental  state of mind (child's play) in healthy psychological development are traced, particularly in relation to the earliest relationship to the Father.

Buildings and urban construction are understood in this paper as representations of the city. Their meanings, however, are often invisible, positing unrealized urban visions, which are both imbedded in and which call up chains of associations expressing desires and fears. Narratives of what the city should be often contain the rejection of the existing urban situation. Understanding architectural objects as potential underscores their imaginary nature. Freud, for example, uses the Roman ruins in Civilization and its Discontents (1929) as a means to imagine stages of history. Yet, meanings of the new can also be covered over and layered. Milan is a city with fragments of the new, which once projected an ideal urban space into the future. The potentiality of Milan’s postwar urban objects is analyzed in relationship to narratives of the city and insertion is framed as an imagining into the city.