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This is an unusual book, setting out in economical language the course of a child's therapy. The main body of the book is written by the mother of the child, with a parallel commentary by the therapist. Martin's attachment to his mother was seriously disturbed from its earliest times as Madame Frédéric had had a previous pregnancy resulting in a spontaneous abortion. Her difficult and confining pregnancy with Martin, coupled with her own unresolved mourning for the lost baby, led to intense ambivalence towards the new one.
The therapy takes place in the presence of the mother. While Martin actively participates in the work, Madame Frédéric gradually relinquishes her anxiety and critical defensiveness. Through reflective evaluation of her emotional reactions to Martin, Dr Malinsky and herself, the mother develops her own creative capacity to relate more appropriately to Martin's gestures and find pleasure in his gradual emergence from being an unhappy, demanding and violent child into being a little boy full of imaginative ideas. The therapist takes a back seat, but clearly creates and mediates a setting in which Martin can express and work through his archetypal imagery, and the mother and child can grow safely into a closer and more reality-based relationship. Interestingly, the wider family network is also involved in the work, particularly the grandfather, who enters into the spirit of Oedipal games at home with Martin.
This is an unsophisticated book about child therapy, but one in which the therapist, although perhaps a trifle too directive of the mother, is appreciative of the delicate nature of the mother/child relationship and the interactions of their two personalities. The archetypal nature of the self-object relationship is very familiar to therapists, and the commentary is sparing of complexity. This makes for a book which can be helpful for those curious about the workings of child therapy.