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Death, time, and psychosis.
1Italian Psychoanalytic Society, Italy. dr.riccardolombardi@libero.it
Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association
|July 2, 2013
Summary
Exploring death awareness and time consciousness in psychoanalysis reveals their crucial role in mental growth for psychotic patients. This study details a 12-year case, highlighting how confronting time theft delusions led to integration and learning from experience.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Psychoanalysis
- Psychotherapy
Background:
- The awareness of death and consciousness of time are hypothesized to be critical factors in psychoanalytic treatment.
- These concepts are believed to influence mental growth in patients with psychosis and aid in integrating psychotic elements in non-psychotic individuals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of death awareness and time consciousness in the analytic process and mental development of psychotic patients.
- To examine the integration of psychotic areas within healthier patients through psychoanalytic treatment.
- To present clinical material illustrating these concepts in a long-term case study.
Main Methods:
- A 12-year intensive psychoanalytic treatment (four sessions per week) of a female patient with psychosis.
- Detailed exploration of clinical material, focusing on acute relapses and specific delusions, such as 'gray men' and 'theft of time'.
- Analysis of the patient's progression through psychotic episodes without interrupting analytic work.
Main Results:
- The patient's engagement with the concepts of death and time significantly impacted her analytic process and mental growth.
- A specific psychotic episode involving delusions about time theft led to the patient's recognition of time's value.
- The patient developed a psychosensory integration center, enhancing her capacity to learn from experiences.
Conclusions:
- Awareness of death and time consciousness are pivotal in psychoanalysis, particularly for psychotic patients.
- Psychoanalytic treatment can facilitate mental growth and the integration of psychotic experiences.
- Confronting and working through specific delusions, like those related to time, can lead to profound therapeutic gains and improved learning capacity.
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