From bodily experience to embodied metaphor

In her book The Unsayable Annie Rogers gives us a glimpse into her therapeutic work with trauma, translating the Lacanian concepts she invokes in a surprisingly clinical way. In one of her cases an unconscious scenario is repeatedly found to appear reminding us of a theory put forward by Piera Aulagnier. This Italian psychoanalyst was initially, like Rogers, Lacanian-inspired. Gradually she built her own theoretical model, putting the body at the core of her thinking. The work of both authors, each with her own emphasis, offers clues on how to work psychoanalytically with trauma. Discussion of Rogers's case study is followed by a summary of her theoretical clarification. In conclusion, attention turns to Aulagnier in order to frame the dynamics of this therapy.