The application of the ideas of Winnicott in clinical practice with difficult patients (schizoids, borderlines and psychotics)

Abstract

After a short explanation about the Winnicott thinking upon psicosis, borderlines and schizoid personalities, the author focalizes the difficulties that the psychoanalyst faces in analysing such patients. Clinical cases are reported in wich, beyond discussing transference, counter-transference and enactments, the supervisor must have in mind that some kind of holding ought to be provided to the analyst, in order to afford him (her) to deal with the overwhelming emotions raised in the analyst, like inneficiency feelings, incapacity, inexistence, irritation, hunger, hate, and so on. Keywords: Psicosis, Borderline, Schizoid, Analyst reaction, Silence, Withdraw, Regression to absolute dependence, Hundling, Holding, Destruction and survival.