In her attempt to find the words that touch, the author gives a succession of illuminating examples to indicate what a psychoanalyst and her patient may experience in the transference relationship during the course of an analysis. On the basis of her clinical experience, the author points out that we all use relatively mature psychic mechanisms and others of a more primitive nature, the former being accessible to symbolism and the latter less so. However, she notes that some can tolerate the awareness of their heterogeneity even if on occasion it causes them pain, while others are rendered so anxious by their lack of inner cohesion that they are afraid of losing their sense of identity. These people particularly need to be touched by words capable of simultaneously evoking fantasies, thoughts, feelings and sensations if they are to be able to unfold their psychic freedom and creativity to the full.

Quinodoz, Danielle

CHAPTER ONE The psychoanalyst of the future: wise enough to dare to be mad at times, CHAPTER TWO Heterogeneous patients: anxiety at heterogeneity, CHAPTER THREE A language that touches CHAPTER FOUR A language that addresses the patient's ``mad part'' but does not forget the part that is not mad CHAPTER FIVE Oedipus in search of integration CHAPTER SIX The interpretation of projective identification CHAPTER SEVEN Words already touch in the preliminary interviews CHAPTER EIGHT Touching with words and not with actions CHAPTER NINE The words don't matter provided that they touch CHAPTER TEN Fragmenting splits, or The Murderer Lives at Number CHAPTER ELEVEN Words that touch bring time to life CHAPTER TWELVE Listening to Freud and speaking to the psychoanalysts of the future, CHAPTER THIRTEEN A vast internal world.