Early Object Loss and "Secret Anniversaries of the Heart"

This article describes a type of anniversary reaction in which the patient has experienced a traumatic early loss and the duration of the therapy relationship functions as an anniversary trigger. Two cases are presented to illustrate how early losses may be repeated in psychotherapy, with the timing...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychoanalytic psychology 1993, Vol.10 (1), p.77-91
Main Authors: Hull, James W, Lane, Robert C, Gibbons, Beverly
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological and medical sciences
Early Experience
Emotional Trauma
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Human
Object Relations
Psychoanalysis
Psychoanalytic theories
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
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Summary:This article describes a type of anniversary reaction in which the patient has experienced a traumatic early loss and the duration of the therapy relationship functions as an anniversary trigger. Two cases are presented to illustrate how early losses may be repeated in psychotherapy, with the timing of repetition duplicating almost exactly the timing of the original event. Many writers have commented on the ubiquitous power of transference and on the patient's tendency to repeat past traumas; this article suggests that the timing of the original loss also may be brought into the transference.
ISSN:0736-9735
1939-1331
DOI:10.1037/h0079433