The Challenge of Too Much: Inviting Laplanche’s Theory into the Realm of Couples Therapy

Abstract

ABSTRACT Several of Laplanche’s key ideas—enigmatic messages, après coup, the fundamental anthropological situation, translation, and the hollowed-out transference—may be applied to the context of couples therapy. A case of one couple is presented to illuminate how Laplanche’s concepts, in their emphasis on the intersubjective, developmental, and relational nature of unconscious communication, may complement already existing theories of couples treatment.