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Before turning to the discussion of Mr F's treatment with Aisha Abbasi, I would like to mention the intense interest aroused in me by a careful reading of the text relating to his treatment. This is a document of exceptional quality, in the sense that the ‘story’ of the treatment is constructed and written in such a way as to transport us onto the very scene of the analysis: this is due, presumably, to the magnetic pull of the transference in operation, as it is conveyed by the analyst's words.
The freedom of expression in the text immediately conveys the engagement of the two partners (or, should I say, the two protagonists, at least as far as the beginning of the treatment is concerned), whose authenticity, in the essential sense of the word, is striking. The material is there, open to reading, transparent and in plain sight; it offers itself up to the reader's freedom of association as no doubt it offered itself up to the analyst's. In such a way some very lively themes of identification are mobilized and resonate in the distinctive analytic experience, and this is what has prompted me to offer my comments.
What I mean is that, to begin with, the transference is also conjured up in this paper in very particular forms which I will briefly highlight: the analytic material under discussion is in written form and I have access to it through reading; I shall set out my thoughts about this material in writing and, thus, it will be received through someone reading it. One can immediately notice how the resonance with a highly developed pattern in the text emerges in an exchange system which is not established or active in the presence of the participants, but rather in absentia, since after a while the treatment was continued over the telephone. This might be a commonplace or trivial element; however, I feel it is necessary to mention it in the context of this paper.
The second point of this preface concerns the almost paradigmatic character of the issues raised by