A Home for the Mind

Abstract

The author presents his view that the patient must find a home in the analyst's mind within which to tolerate the work of analysis. Analytic work and change are facilitated by the patient's experience of the analyst's mind as a place within which the patient exists as an internal object, toward whom the analyst relates with agency and freedom. To illustrate his way of working with the patient to accomplish this, the author presents case vignettes from his own practice and from the writing of Mitchell (1997, 2000) and Steiner (1994).

Analytic Mind Use and Interpsychic Communication: Driving Force in Analytic Technique, Pathway to Unconscious Mental Life

“…Contemporary analysts of differing persuasions argue convincingly that psychoanalysis brings about psychological development both by discovering new information about oneself, but more significantly, by creating a new way of relating to one's mind. This is evident in recent writings by ego psychologists (Busch 2009(Busch , 2010Levine 2012aLevine , 2012b; British independents (Carpy 1989;Parsons 2006Parsons , 2009; modern Kleinian/Bionians (Brown 2010;Caper 2009;Grotstein 2005;Joseph 1975); Italian Bionians (Civitarese 2013;Ferro 2005aFerro , 2008Ferro and Basile 2009); contemporary French analysts (Botella and Botella 2005) as well as Lacanians (Bernstein 1999); South American dynamic field theorists Baranger 2008, 2009;Berenstein 2012;Bernardi and de León de Bernardi 2012;de León de Bernardi 2000); intersubjective relational analysts (Aron 2000;Spezzano 2007); and Loewald (1986) and Loewald-inspired North American independents (Chodorow 2004;Diamond 2011;Lear 2012;Ogden 1997). 1 In the language of chaos theory, the linking of minds (mind-mind coupling) in psychoanalysis is posited to occur as the mind-brains of two participants form a unique system that creates a new oscillator, making change possible (Galatzer-Levy 2009).…”

“…Accordingly, the patient's mind develops by consistently experiencing contact with the analyst's "containing function" over a lengthy period of time (Carpy 1989). This emerges from the patient's experience of, as well as unconscious identification with, the analyst's unconscious mind-what Spezzano (2007) described as the patient's finding a "home" in the mind of the analyst where the patient exists as an internal object. This is most evident during the analyst's containment of intense countertransference affect, fantasy, and impulse when impacted by the patient's projected material, and the analyst's consequently acting it out in partial, subtle ways through the wording of an interpretation, tone of voice, unconscious nonverbal behavior, or type of interpretation chosen (Carpy 1989).…”

Supervision and Contributing to the Analytic Culture

“…Rorty (1991) describes that such distinct cultural environments form interpretive communities in which people can explore and learn about their realities and find sustainable explanations for their experiences and perceptions. Spezzano (2007) writes that distinct cultural environments become 'psychic homes' that protect people from 'the threat of chaos' and provide them with inclusive and cohesive meaning systems (p. 1569). Furthermore, psychoanalysis is viewed as significantly influencing the wider culture by positioning a 'beacon of opposition' to different beliefs such as the belief in quantification and materialism (Summers, 2012, p. 45).…”

Clinical theory at the border(s): Emerging and unintended crossings in the development of clinical theory

“…At the same time, his observations are well embedded in a clinical theory that focuses on his long-standing interests in two types of conflict, divergent and convergent as well as punitive unconscious self-criticism. Spezzano's (2007) notion of a home for the mind A more recent version of clinical theory that is easily usable to analysts from a variety of orientations is Spezzano's elaboration of the relationship between the analyst's mind as a container and therapeutic action. Spezzano discusses how analytic change is facilitated through the patient's experience of the analyst's mind as a place within which the patient exists as an internal object.…”

“…Some of these contributions may also reflect the positive and generative outcome that has resulted from analysts who are digesting each other's work though I have tried to be cautious about only making this assertion in response to an author's explicit reference to outside influence (e.g. Greenberg, ; Kris, ; Spezzano, ). In psychoanalytic terms, this reflects levels of theoretical interpenetration and integration, perhaps even a working through of a sort, in the analytic world in which we live.…”