Discussion

I WANT TO THANK DR. FRIEDMAN for her presentation and express my appreciation of her struggle, both to endure and make sense of the trials and tribulations that were visited on her during the period of the impasse. I admire the work that she and her patient did to bring this difficult phase of the analysis to a point of resolution.

I am satisfied, for reasons that I presently hope to make clear, that the impasse was substantially resolved and because I am satisfied, as well that this resolution was accompanied by changes in the patient's internal self-and-object world that are likely to prove to be deep and enduring, my discussion will include no criticism of Dr. Friedman's conduct of the treatment.

Were I the therapist in this case, and had I arrived at the understanding of the therapeutic meaning and function of this situation of impasse that I am about to put forth, there is, I think, little that I would have done differently.

I want to discuss the impasse of this treatment situation from the viewpoint that it was an emotional situation that needed to be created between patient and analyst so that it could be worked