You do not currently have permission to view the full text for this document. Please sign in to an account with an active subscription or contact support.
The author examines the varieties of somatization and their function in the psychic organization of three long-term psychoanalytic patients. These patients reported extensive use of somatic symptoms, utilizing unique and at times extreme measures in an attempt to maintain a safe and tolerable stimulation level. They all revealed a restriction in their experience of affect and exhibited marked constraint in their free range of thought. André Green's work (1999b) on the place of affect in clinical structures informs the coding scheme devised to study the range of psychic defense mechanisms. For these patients, the body provides protection against threats coming from internal and external sources.
Insights are presented that highlight the underlying early conflicts embodied by these physical symptoms, illuminate the unique transference and treatment issues, and address the potential dangers in working with such cases. Emphasis is placed on the special demands required of the analyst, in particular the extensive use of induced countertransference feelings, a cornerstone of modern psychoanalytic practice.