Citation

Berger L. Br. J. Psychother. 2011; 27(3): 258-271.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1752-0118.2011.01240.x

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This paper on regression during psychoanalytic psychotherapy is largely based on my experience of working with a patient who became profoundly regressed, going back into early infantile states of being. Due to concerns about confidentiality in a therapy which after several years is ongoing, I am only able to refer to the case in a general way; there will be a spectre at the centre of the paper. However, the impact of my experience has informed my thoughts and ideas about the phenomenon of severe regression, and has given birth to this paper. I will explore the dilemmas inherent in including confidential material in a published paper. I want to emphasize the importance of a thorough assessment of patients likely to regress, going on to consider the role of the therapeutic setting. I will talk about adjustments I have found it necessary to make in basic analytic technique in order to accommodate the extreme vulnerability of a regressed patient. I hope to contribute to the discussion among psychotherapists about the value and efficacy of a regressive experience, as well as its dangers, and, lastly, to consider the place that regressive phenomena hold in general psychoanalytic thinking.

Keywords

adaptation of the classical method; assessment; Balint; body ego; confidentiality; regression; technique; therapeutic setting; Winnicott