In the last analysis: archetypal themes in the analysis of an elderly patient with early disintegrative trauma

Aspects of the analysis of an elderly patient with early disintegrative experiences are described: separation anxiety, an internalized attack upon vitality, and the fear of dependency were prominent features of the transference/countertransference relationship, while the search for meaning as death drew nearer continued to be the central theme. The patient's many dreams reveal a wealth of images whose complex interlinkings provided evidence of a heightened and energized individuation process aiming at the integrity of personality.