Through her description of the analysis of a traumatized woman dedicated to the search for power, the author elaborates Bion's (1958) concept of the obstructive object. The complex relationships among the obstructive object, later trauma, and the development of a pathological organization of the personality based on the idolization of power are highlighted. The author suggests that, in such cases, envy and underlying humiliation pose particular challenges in an analysis, and their containment can be central to the patient's recovery of the capacity to learn from experience.