Amélie, transference or bond

In psychotherapies for borderline states and certain child therapies, the relationship between patient and analyst resembles a bond more than it resembles transference. Amélie’s case was an example. This emotionally deprived little girl is subject to depressive anxiety, masked by deficient organization and manic defenses. Her relationship to the therapist vacillates between flight and familiarity, finally appearing to be adhesive. A Pierrot mime puppet was especially apt to help Amélie express her feelings of abandonment and aggressive impulses. However, despite her relational progress, access to the symbolic is difficult for her, and her therapy ended with a break in the bond that was hard to integrate.