What is the container/contained when there are ghosts in the nursery?: joining bion and fraiberg in dyadic interventions with mother and infant

This article proposes that Fraiberg et al.’s metaphor may be newly elaborated utilizing Bion's (1962) original theoretical conceptualization of the “container and contained.” He posited that an infant projects distressing affective states upon the mother, who contains the experience, transforms the feelings, and then enables the infant to reintroject a more tolerable experience. This lays the foundation for the relational experience of being known by another and facilitates the infant's development of self‐knowledge and emotional regulation. We utilize Fraiberg et al.’s original case material to identify ways in which ghosts in the nursery disrupt the processes of the container and contained. Bion's ideas may help enrich our understanding of how the therapeutic relationship enables cycles of containment, transitioning the material “ghosts” from being contained by the infant to being contained by the therapist, and to ultimately being transformed so that the mother can reattribute them to the past. RESUMEN “Fantasmas en la Guardería.” “Visitantes de un pasado no recordado.” Las palabras de Fraiberg (1975) evocan los “intrusos” en la relación, aquellos que ella percibía mientras trabajaba con madres e infantes. El pasado no resuelto de una madre es una fuerza impulsora dentro del tratamiento de las díadas madre‐niño. Trabajando con estas familias, el terapeuta se esfuerza para procesar and metabolizar la angustia de la díada mientras que le ...
Source: Infant Mental Health Journal - Category: Child Development Authors: Tags: ARTICLE Source Type: research