Playing in Winnicott's Potential Space: The Treatment of a Hypersexual Woman

Abstract

This is a case of a Brazilian female who defended against unrecognized and contradictory internalized representations of self and others that were affectively charged. These defenses led to identity diffusion and disturbed relationships. The patient existed in a compromised space between the internal (fantasy) and external (reality) to maintain psychological equilibrium. When the external reality of aging and sexual desirability changed, the potential space changed. When the use of part-object relations to sustain her fantasy of being wanted and desired became in jeopardy of collapsing she became depressed and despondent. Treatment focused on the integration of her split-off parts of self and object representations. The distorted perceptions of self and other were the focus of treatment as they emerged in the transferential relationship with the therapist. The successful understanding of the transference was a significant ingredient for the analytic treatment.