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From Emptiness to Loss: A Journey from the Intrapersonal to the Interpersonal
Author(s) -
Lamprell Michael
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
british journal of psychotherapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.442
H-Index - 17
eISSN - 1752-0118
pISSN - 0265-9883
DOI - 10.1111/j.1752-0118.1994.tb00665.x
Subject(s) - emptiness , psychology , feeling , intrapersonal communication , witness , omnipotence , meaning (existential) , psychotherapist , psychoanalysis , dehumanization , narcissism , interpersonal communication , social psychology , epistemology , philosophy , sociology , linguistics , anthropology
SUMMARY In this paper the writer follows the changing meaning of the word ‘emptiness’ used by a patient in her therapy over a period of several years. He finds that it is possible to witness the journey in the therapy from a state of not‐being, described as ‘emptiness’ at the beginning of the therapy, towards a feeling of loss, later in the therapy, when ‘emptiness’ takes on a new meaning. This journey can be seen to be linked with a developmental process from a perception of omnipotence and fusion towards a feeling of being separate.