Various psychoanalytic concepts address the issue of time, but they are largely based on an outdated physical understanding of time. The aim of this paper is to contrast psychoanalytic concepts of time with contemporary physical models in order to identify potential needs for theoretical revision. More complex models from the Theory of Relativity and quantum mechanics radically transform our understanding of time. Time is thus conceived as a network of relational interactions, or it disappears entirely at the most fundamental level in quantum theory, becoming an illusion arising from our blurred perception. Using a case example, the paper discusses how time in the clinical context is not linear but distorted by trauma, memory, and emotions. Therapeutic work therefore requires a flexible handling of the analytic setting and a deep understanding of the patient's subjective experience of time.

The full text is available in German.