Saturday Dialogue: Presence, Absence and the Power of the Obstructive Object

with Katie Wilson & Barbara Sewell

Absence is a powerful mode of communication in an analytic therapy, and often leaves the therapist with the burden of holding all that is left unresolved in a treatment. In this case study, I hope to explore the on-again, off-again treatment with a patient who skillfully communicates their experience through strong projective identification and abandonment. We will explore a therapeutic relationship of deep care where the destructive power and force of the obstructive object promotes continual abandonment, both of the therapy but also of the patient themselves. We will explore not only the role of the Obstructive Object, but also the role of withdrawing and returning to the process time and time again. We will look at case material, countertransference reactions and patient communication to take a deeper look at how the obstructive object can keep a therapy from moving forward in a meaningful way.