A coauthored case study discusses work with both the family of a baby in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and the unit staff and highlights the projective forces that can easily overwhelm everyone involved. We especially focus on the breaking down of thought and reflection and the permeability of psychic space that is endemic to this traumatic environment. We extend our attention to include our collaborative process and our mutual impact as we work closely together as consultants on the unit, examining in particular the multiple ways in which our experiences and interactions are influenced by these unconscious processes of projection and dissociation. We also briefly engage the question of balancing the subjectivity of the parent and the baby in our use of Tavistock-influenced infant observation techniques.