The emergence of the Self and the process of symbolization

French psychoanalysis

Abstract

This article examines modern theoretical psychoanalytic concepts that allow us to take a fresh look at the treatment of "severe cases", including psychotic, autistic and narcissistic identification psychopathologies, which are based on the problems of the archaic; for the treatment of such patients, it is necessary to use new technical tools. In the case of treatment of severe narcissistic psychopathologies, the classical technique is modified, more attention is paid to sensory, affective and motor aspects, that is, to those early experiences that underlie the formation of symbolization processes, or, in case of failure, to the absence or deficit of symbolization. A new theoretical and clinical approach to psychoanalytic psychotherapy of patients with "severe conditions" includes not only a focus on sensory aspects, but also an expansion of the technique towards "therapeutic mediation"; in the case of working in a group, the psychoanalyst plays the role of a "flexible medium" in the transference.