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Chapter Six – Part of a Session – Page 200
associations) (Freud, 1913/1958), Winnicott’s comment to Guntrip (1975, p. 151) is
salient too. Near the end of their first session with Winnicott as Guntrip’s analyst,
Guntrip reports that Winnicott said to him: 'I've nothing particular to say yet, but if I
don't say something, you may begin to feel I'm not here'. Somehow this captures in an
elegant manner the paradox of dealing with early, pre-verbal experience.
To conclude this consideration of themes and issues in the discussion, it is notable that
the themes and issues considered have a range of origins. One relates to a phrase spoken
by a group member, others are technical psychotherapy practice issues (managing
countertransference, managing distance in therapeutic relationships, and the break, and
the culture of the group), while others are emotional experiences (rivalry, keeping up
spirits in chaos, and abandonment). Next, I will consider meanings around the Sticky
Moment as well as the themes in the session as a whole.
INTERPRETATION - MEANINGS AROUND THE MOMENT
So what happened in this episode in the context of this session?
One relatively simple version might be that there was a break in the programme because
of one person’s illness, and the break caused some disruption in the group whilst it was
trying to use the time to have a discussion related to its core task, the integration of
theory and practice in psychoanalytic psychotherapy.
A more elaborate version is that the group is shaken by one person’s failure to present
their work, and that this has evoked a kind of group regression. This may be an
explanation for the countertransference of the tutors in the break, that they have felt
themselves to be put into the role of teacher or clinical supervisor when they are trying