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New Life at the Graveyard: A Method of Therapy for Individuation from a Dead Former Parent
Author(s) -
Williamson Donald S.
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
journal of marital and family therapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.868
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1752-0606
pISSN - 0194-472X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1752-0606.1978.tb00500.x
Subject(s) - individuation , psychology , psychoanalysis , family therapy , psychotherapist , work (physics) , developmental psychology , mechanical engineering , engineering
First, the usual form of family‐of‐origin work with living parents toward the individuation of adult children is briefly illustrated. This is done in order then to compare and contrast this procedure with a method of therapy, presented here, for structuring family‐of‐origin work towards individuation from a dead parent. Several case illustrations follow. The paper concludes that under certain conditions, it is possible successfully to engage in and to complete individuation work with a parent who is already dead.