An Invitation Into the Ghost Kingdom

Abstract

This article elucidates the various ways in which the child adoptee invites and uninvites the therapist into the ghost kingdom. It is through the establishment and constant surveillance of the ghost kingdom that the adoptee remains connected to the birth mother and other members of the birth family. Navigation into and out of the ghost kingdom becomes an integral part of the treatment of the child adoptee, and presents unique challenges for the therapist. When the child adoptee enters the ghost kingdom, she or he more often than not simultaneously disconnects from the therapist. As treatment progresses, the child adoptee can more comfortably allow the therapist access into the ghost kingdom and, in doing so, the fragmentation and dissociation that are necessary to keep the ghost kingdom private and alive begin to disappear. The child adoptee is now in the position of achieving greater self-integration and, at the same time, a more cohesive life narrative.

Notes

¹This raises a sensitive therapeutic issue when working with the child adoptee; that is, if reality considerations (financial or otherwise) threaten the continuity of treatment, how important is it that the therapist's professional tie to the child remain unchanged, in light of the child's history of abandonment?

²However, Charlotte's adoptive mother's willingness to share Charlotte may have contributed to the birth mother running scared.