Some years ago, I was running errands in Providence and North Providence. Much like today, it was an unusually hot, humid Fall day. Eventually, I got hungry and thirsty. I remembered an Italian bakery in the area. It was in a rundown neighborhood but had great calzones. I drove to it. Once inside, I took …
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Anaclitic Depression or Anxiety Defending Against Depression Today, I will start to explain the difference between an anaclitic depression and anxiety guarding against a depressive episode. We will open with a beginner’s introduction to object relations theory. For this post, it’s not necessary to have read the previous posts. If you’d like, you can read …
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Couples Therapy for Robert and Julia (Romeo and Juliet) Julia and Robert have come to my office. We are discussing their desire to elope. I’ve just asked Julia if there is any way that her parents would agree to delay her return to their home island in Portugal. Julia: I tried to get my father …
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This is the seventh post in this series. If you are just starting in this series, then it would help you to read at least the fifth post to get the background on today’s discussion. As a refresher, this is a “case study” of Robert. He is a single male in his early twenties. Robert …
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If you are just picking up on this series, you might do well to start by reading at least the last post. Today’s post will refer extensively to the last one. To review where we are in this “case study,” Robert has come to my office about 36 hours after meeting a woman. He and …
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This is a case study of anxiety being used as a defense against a return to a depressive state. Robert left an urgent message on my voicemail. He said that he was anxious and panicky. He wanted an appointment as soon as possible. I returned the call and arranged an intake appointment for him the …
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