Spaces, Places, Dimensions: Reply to Commentaries

Abstract

In this reply to discussions by Marilyn Charles and Marie Hoffman, I pick up on the theme of the significant challenges in holding space for religious experience in psychoanalysis, making the argument that to do so in a way that honors our patients’ experience, we have to be willing to engage both its deep, primordial elements and its symbolic, differentiating aspects.

Keywords:

• psychoanalysis
• religion
• spirituality
• third
• thirdness
• transformation

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

¹ I particularly regret not having space to engage more with this idea, as it formed the basis for my doctoral dissertation (Cataldo, 2006).