The Bion-Field Theory (BFT): Theory, clinical tools, controversial points

Abstract

ABSTRACT In this article the author begins with a brief history of the concept of the analytical field and then outlines some cornerstones of Bionian theory: the theory of mind, the way of understanding the unconscious, the use of the concept of container/content, and the importance of the oscillation between negative capability and selected fact. The author then dwells on the way in which, in BFT, the ‘third’ in analysis is understood, and on the oneiric quality of the analytical session.The article then explores the ‘contaminations’ that the field model has undergone by hermeneutic and narratology, and then explores the clinical dimension. Unsaturated interpretations, the use of reveries in the session, playing in analysis, and character theory are the fundamental points of the clinic in BFT. The author then addresses a number of controversial points which have been the subject of debate in the analytical community: the status of external reality in the session, the risk of unsaturated analytical interventions, the use of self-disclosure, and the way in which the conclusion of the analysis is to be reconsidered. The final part is dedicated to outlining the development of narrative function as one of the goals of the analytical experience.