The analysis of Peter is described, followed by verbatim process of one session. A life-long retreat into inner fantasy and the experience of himself and others as mere objects had enabled Peter to survive an upbringing in a boundariless, overstimulating, and punitive environment. The analysis focusses on helping this traumatized young man to feel that he can relate to others and maintain a sense of himself as coherent and alive. The session that follows shows how the analyst uses himself, with personal engagement and lively responsiveness, to create a space within which Peter approaches a potential new relationship and begins to consider that it may be possible to remain whole and vibrant while in relation to another.