RUPTURES IN THE ANALYTIC SETTING AND DISTURBANCES IN THE TRANSFORMATIONAL FIELD OF DREAMS

Area of Science:

• Psychoanalysis
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Explores the implications of Bleger's (1967, 2013) concept of the analytic situation.
• Defines the analytic situation as comprising the analytic setting and the analytic process.

Purpose of the Study:

• To discuss Bleger's idea of the analytic setting as a repository for projected painful aspects.
• To contrast the analytic setting with the analytic process, emphasizing transformation.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual analysis of Bleger's theory.
• Enumeration of components within the analytic setting.
• Illustration through an extended clinical vignette.

Main Results:

• The analytic setting acts as a depositary for painful affects, rendering them as nonprocess.
• The analytic process is characterized by incessant transformation of content (Green 2005).
• Components of the analytic setting include the nonhuman, object relational, and the analyst's person.

Conclusions:

• The distinction between setting and process is crucial for understanding analytic dynamics.
• Painful affects can become 'stuck' in the setting, hindering therapeutic progress.
• The analyst's role involves managing these dynamics to facilitate transformation within the process.