Citation

Shubin M. Psychoanalytic Perspectives 2021; 18(1): 134-148.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021)

DOI

10.1080/1551806X.2021.1845025

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Using a clinical example, I explore the dynamics and the analyst's response to suicidal fantasies, particularly when the patient's grief and loss resonate with her own. This paper pushes beyond the accepted complex dynamic meanings of suicidal preoccupation by suggesting that along with the wish to end one's life may paradoxically lie a wish to re-imagine it. While the threat of suicide can foreclose and narrow the interpersonal field, it also, at times, has the power to reframe it and bring new life to stale narratives. Standing in contrast to its destructive potential, the desire to suicide may be a call to give birth to a self that has, heretofore, eluded expression and recognition. Examining these aspects, while also parsing out degrees of risk, brings new awareness and acceptance to shared experiences of powerlessness and the possibility for change. © Copyright © 2021 National Institute for the Psychotherapies.

Language: en

Keywords

attachment; suicidality; accommodation and powerlessness; suicidal fantasy