Psychic links and traumatic events: Some implications of premature birth

Abstract

This paper illustrates a relationship between the containment of anxiety and the capacity to work through and recover from traumatic events as it emerged in the once weekly psychotherapy of an 8-year-old boy, born three months prematurely. At referral his presentation strongly suggested the impact of his parents' separation and subsequent divorce three years previously, and the implications of being unable to express, comprehend and work through his feelings. He was depressed, disillusioned and caught up in deception and self-destructive behaviour. However, as the psychotherapy progressed, the significance of his premature birth came into the foreground. This had impeded his establishing a containing function in infancy. A major contribution of the psychotherapy was to create the possibility for primitive anxiety to be thought about and to some extent made bearable. This contributed to a greater capacity for thinking reflectively, for dialogue with others, and for modifying harsh internal figures. The implications of the parents' divorce could then be worked through more adequately. Due to external pressures on the parents, the therapy was terminated after four terms with a planned ending. Though this was itself in many respects premature, a review six months later indicated sustained changes in the child's ability to relate to his parents and in his capacity to regulate his anxiety and think reflectively.

Key Words:

• Premature birth
• parental divorce
• psychoanalytic psychotherapy
• trauma
• containment