From frozen symbol to living symbol

This article was adapted from a thesis written for a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Symbol Psychology according to C.G. Jung. The author describes the case of a female patient who was the victim of a series of traumatic events in her youth, due to the war situation in which she lived. The various symptoms presented by the patient are analyzed in terms of “fixed symbols.” The therapeutic relationship is among the factors promoting a gradual resumption of the symbolic function, enabling living symbols to emerge.