Experiences within a borderline syndrome

This paper provides an experiential view of a borderline syndrome and its psychotherapy. In a letter to her therapist a gifted patient speaks of the symptoms and treatment of her illness. This provides the basis for studying the precipitous transference relationships in borderline patients and the urgent need in these patients for clarity and dependability from their therapists. Common fears of being "set adrift" by psychotherapy are contrasted to the characteristic tenacity of the patient-therapist bond. A review of the patient's life allows the reader to evaluate the clinical applicability of her insights. The letter's multiple communicative functions illustrate some of the qualities of the object relations sought by borderline personalities, and stress is placed upon the sublimatory aspect of such letters and the prognostic importance of the capacities for sublimation.