On the silence of the therapist and object loss

The therapist's silence is viewed as a component of the medium within which early self/object experiences may be revived and resolved. After reviewing the literature on silence and on early object loss, the author concludes that the denial of loss accompanied by reunion fantasies interferes with normal processes of internalization and separation-individuation. Clinical material is presented and discussed, emphasizing the role that appropriate analytic silence plays in actualizing and beginning to work through the patient's early loss experience, thus facilitating appropriate internalization. This approach is contrasted with the view that such cases require the use of parameters.