Nadia Bruschweiler-Stern

Explicating the implicit: the local level and the microprocess of change in the analytic situation.

This paper proposes a method of examining the micro‐events of the analytic process that borrows heavily from developmental research. The increasing importance of illuminating the microprocess of interaction to understanding the process of change in analytic treatment is emphasised. A set of constructs and terminology is proposed for the study of the moment‐to‐moment interactive process in psychoanalytic therapy referred to as the local level. A theory of therapeutic action based on ‘local‐level’ process is then explicated. Its central element involves a step‐by‐step process of ‘fitting together’, which leads to changes in implicit knowing through alteration of emotional procedures.

THE CASE OF SOPHIE

ABSTRACT: The analysis of a girl from ages 3 to 5 years old offers a clinical illustration of an alternativetheory of change. In this theory the process of change is organized around nodal points of exchangebetween patient and analyst, designated as “now moments” and “moments of meeting.” In the casepresented, these moments were preceded by an intensification of affect and were accompanied by a senseof openness and ambiguity. As often as not they were nonverbal and sometimes did not even involvesymbolic representation. The process resulted in a progressively expanded repertoire of ways of beingtogether and ways of doing things together. In a parallel and mutually influencing track, the child wastelling me a story that gave meaning to her world, and increased the coherence of her sense of self. RESUMEN: El ana´lisis de una nin˜ade3a5an˜os de edad ofrece una ilustracio´n cli´nica de otra teori´a sobreel cambio. En esta teori´a el proceso de cambio se organiza alrededor de puntos nodales de intercambioentre la paciente y el analista que se designan como “momentos de ahora” y “encuentros momenta´neos.”En el caso presentado, estos “momentos” fueron seguidos de una intensificacio´n del afecto y fueronacompan˜ados por un sentido de apertura y ambigu¨edad. Tan frecuente como nunca antes, fueron “mo-mentos” sin hablar y algunas veces no involucraron representacio´n simbo´lica. El proceso resulto´enunrepertorio progresivamente expandido de maneras de estar juntos y maneras de hacer cosas juntos. Enforma paralela y de influencia mutua, la nin˜a me estaba contando una historia que le dio significado a sumundo e incremento´ la coherencia de su sentido del yo.