Theautistic-contiguousposition

andnonverbalcommunication
atthepsychoanalyticclinic
The autistic-contiguous position
and the non-verbal communication
inpsychoanalyticalclinics
Julia Braga do Patrocínio Fernandes
Carlos Augusto Peixoto Junior

Summary
The objective of this article is to explore the concept of autistic-contiguous position, formulated by
Thomas Ogden. With the considerable increase of so-called non-neurotic patients, the analyst
you are compelled to expand your listening abilities and pay attention to other forms of communication
actions that do not necessarily go through verbal language. From the approach provided
through the theory of object relations, we address the genesis of human communication and the way by
what non-verbal aspects remain active in adulthood, providing support for
an expanded understanding of what is desired to be communicated in the analytical relationship.

Keywords:
Position, Communication, Psychoanalysis, Object Relations.

Introduction began to outline in more precise lines

Over the last few decades, psychoanalysis the role of the object in the constitution of the subject.
who is dealing with the issue referring to From his work, the articulation between ego
to the so-called non-neurotic cases, increasingly the object proved to be indispensable for the plea-
but more present in the clinic. Psychoanalysts like in the exercise of the functions of symbolization.
Melanie Klein, Donald Winnicott and Wilfred Kleinian theory provides the basis for the work
They had already leaned over, in ways Winnicott's (1945) and Bion's (1962) insights.
different, regarding studies related to the spec- the development of primitive emotionality
psychopathological traits that were differentiated and its importance for understanding
of those studied by Freud. some transferential phenomena.
Ferenczi, in the 1920s, already emphasized Winnicott builds a new approach
the difficulty of some patients in following about the beginnings of childhood and if
to the letter the classical technique during the sessions, worried about the development of techniques
pointing to the need for reformulation cases focused on the treatment of patients
technical actions in the clinic. psychotics and borderliners, in addition to explaining
Klein, when dedicating himself to the in-depth study the importance of the environment in processes of
from the analysis of children (1921, 1923, 1932) subjectivation.
– and, in turn, to child development Bion is more connected to theory.
in its pre-Oedipal phase (1928, 1945, 1946) Kleiniana explores and deepens some theses about

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from projective identification, which becomes Spitz differentiates experiences through

conceived in its intersubjective dimension from which babies receive and perceive the
is widely used in the clinic by phenomena naming them, more specific-
post-Kleinians. The projective identification, specifically, of 'kinesthetic reception' and 'per-
along with what Bion called diacritical exception.
states of reverie, becomes the basis of its The cenesthetic reception would be linked to a
theory of functions, which promotes a mu- system of sensations of exten- characteristic
paradigm dance concerning the role Siva, through sensory modalities
of the analyst in the face of unnamed anxieties peripherals – like the surface of the skin – se-
patient's voice. feelings sent and received by the newborn
In such a context, it becomes evident that the dile- in its early months of life. According to
more present in the clinic of difficult patients he, certain areas and sensory organs are characterized
they start demanding new technical formulations they serve as transitional, that is, average-
cases, among which the need stands out doors between the interior and the exterior, forming
of the expansion of subjective capacities of the a bridge between the sensory reception and the
analyst. Listening and communication win in- diacritic perception, which occurs later,
the definitions in their aspects both asso- after the development of some capacities
creative as well as interpretive. cognitive skills.
In this line, Thomas Ogden offers us The diachronic perception would have a characteristic-
important theoretical expansions for the com- intensive ristic, would derive from the processes of
comprehension of pre-verbal states, in which the kinesthetic reception and, through a process-
affects and bodily manifestations take the of learning and maturation, would begin
dinner and offer the analyst relevant data to form around the third month of life.
soberodynamic of the analyst-patient relationship. From the baby's reaction to the smile of
someone approaching, it is possible to notice that
The genesis of human communication: perception begins to be better defined.
non-verbal aspects the smile reaction is, for Spitz, an indicator
In 1965, in the book The First Year of Life, that the precursor of the object was established and
René Spitz brings to light issues related to that a rudimentary ego is already operating
observation of babies during the first year towards the formation of the ego proper.
of life. The author points out the importance of It is also the moment when the baby reaches the
baby's first experiences in the relationship ability to temporarily suspend the
with the mother, assigning a decisive role unconditional operation of the principle of
to the sensory aspects, identified as pleasure, giving way to the principle of reality.
cenesthetic states of experience. There is, therefore, a passage from passivity
Spitz introduces a change to- from a directed activity, which gives way
the dispute regarding the Kleinian theory when at the beginning, still embryonic, of the relationships of
mark an undifferentiated state at the beginning object. Nevertheless, the cenesthetic organization-
of life, placing object relations as it continues to work throughout life,
a process to be built over playing a determining role in
experiences with the mother. For him, there is no feelings, in thoughts and in actions
neither object nor object relations in the uni- of adult life.
newborn verse; what exists is a The importance attributed by Spitz to the day-
state of non-differentiation (Spitz, 1965). A of mother-baby it takes you to the deepening of
starting from a kinesthetic mode, the stimuli issues related to communication between the
and visceral sensitivity are 'received' in two. Returning to Freud, the author considers
instead of 'perceived'. that the genesis of communication in the baby lies in the

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voltage drop in situations of discharge verbal. Meanwhile, maternal sensitivity

zero. can increase the potential capacity of
cenesthetic reaction, that is, through uselessness
The newborn can only discharge the my regressive processes that occurred in
tension that arises from your need, by ma- course of pregnancy, childbirth, and lactation,
manifestation of diffuse, causal emotions, attraction- mother becomes able to understand the signs
instead of screams, of the irritation of blood vessels of the baby and assign meaning to them.
neos, etc. (Spitz, [1965] 1979, p. 124). In other words, the capacity for empathy
the mother's case will cause the undirected signal
According to Freud (1895), this path of des- and the non-verbal emitted by the baby transforms
load takes on a secondary function to impose in an affectionate dialogue, starting the comu-
aunt, that is, to call for an understanding by more elementary communication. The emotional state of
part of other people. In this way, the co- mother in relation to her newborn baby
communication in the mother-child dyad is established was previously described by Winnicott
in the first months of life, before the for- as 'primary maternal concern'
object relations theory, based on (Winnicott, 1956).
in phylogenetics. Following the same line of reasoning,
For Spitz, communication among animals Frances Tustin addresses the theme of autism
serves as a basis for the understanding of the comu- me, taking into account not only the
human communication if we take into account pathological autism, but also the state
that animal language is egocentric, of normal autism, necessary for all development-
that is to say, it is not intended for another animal, healthy development. Identifying it as
but only expresses an inner process. primary normal autism, the author considers
the baby is in the first days of life,
The same situation appears in newborns. the very torrent of sensations that I experience
said whose ego does not exist. Their vocalizations mint (Tustin, 1972).
are the expression of inner processes and In reference to Spitz, Tustin reaffirms that
are not intended for anyone (Spitz, [1965] [...] the flood is the rule that regulates each
1979, p. 126. hour" (SpitzapudTustin, [1972] 1975, p.
68) in this first state of differentiation.
Directed volitional communication In everything the baby experiences, it can be ex-
trica) will appear later, operated by you- pressed in terms of matter or intensity-
nice and semantic signs that will culminate in of the bodies. In other words, the parts
development of the symbolic function. From this of the mother are experimented as zones of
form, the communication that is established in the own body in a state of excitement.
the beginnings of life are based on the organization For the baby to be able to walk in di-
Cenesthetic, that is, responds to signs not reaction to psychological integration, it is necessary
verbal, non-directed and purely expressed that he acquires an internal feeling of
you. They belong to categories such as what is capable of 'connecting'. This feeling deri-
balance, tension, posture, temperature, con- you will see countless experiences of satisfaction,
skin tattoo, rhythm, intervals, duration, sound, vivid mainly when he surrounds
timbre, noise, resonance, among others. to suck on the nipple with the mouth or when feeling
In adults, such manifestations appear from held in the mother's arms and 'contained in
camouflaged manner. Because of the acquisition climate created by the affectionate attention of this
of verbal language and diacritic perception (Tustin, [1972] 1975, p. 67).
in adulthood, the individual begins to prioritize symbols Tustin highlights an important characteristic
semantics to the detriment of non-signs aunt of the autistic phase, namely, she is asso-

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each with a relative self-sensuality adds to the formulations of Melanie Klein

undifferentiated mind. In other words, if, by a about the schizoparanoid positions (1946,
On the other hand, this phase is not completely devoid of 1952, 1957, 1958) and depressive (1935, 1948,
the object – as Freud believed (1914) 1958) a state called autistic position
On the other hand, object relations do not seem contiguous, characterizing it as the way
to be operating since the beginning, as they think more primitive, pre-symbolic and sensory of
certain theoretical aspects of object relations; they assign meaning to experience.
develop gradually, starting from the ex- It is in this more elementary form of exp
experiences with the mother. human experience, where there is the predominance
In this initial period, the child seems to react from sensory experience, which is the most rudimentary
go to the world in terms of your own color- sense of self-built. This construction
for its internal provisions. Still, will be based on the rhythm of sensations, more
the author argues that primary autism does not specifically from surface sensations
it is absolute, that is, there will probably be es- of the skin. The rhythm and the experience of contiguity
wavering states of consciousness of separation fathers will be decisive and essential for the re-
that prepare the child for a transition primitive relations of the baby with its objects
of the primary state dominated by sensations at this moment, where the sensory experience
for an internship in which the relationship baby rialéo (Ogden, 1989).
emotional with separated and diffe- The notion of autistic-contiguous position is
rents from it can begin to develop. will also be formed from constellations
Thus, the baby's sensuality in specific anxiety, mechanisms of de-
state of "normal primary autism" and its fesas, think tanks, quality-
relative indifferentiation, combined with adap- of the object relations and degrees of subjectivity
stability of the mother, protect the newborn life.
of non-self experiences. "They come from a The Ogden proposition with the term
intermediate protective stage between being den- "autistic-contiguous position" is part of the idea of
into the uterus and to be outside of it" (Tustin, [1972] that, firstly, the word "position"
1975, p. 18). In this context, the way in which intends to oppose this type of psi organization
the child will go through this stage, defined by ecological to that determined by phases of
Tustin as "normal primitive autism" de- development. The idea of position brings
it will finish the later developments. I achieve a dialectical conception of the con-
If the child encounters the separation attribution of human experience, different-
action between her and her primordial object before mind gives the notion of phase, which sectors the vi-
from the acquisition of the capacity to assimilate it, victories, restricting them to a certain
the anguish resulting from this experience moment of life. The state of being experience-
they will be located in the realm of experiences in this type of psychological organization
historical, therefore prior to the conquest of finds in relation both synchronically and
verbal language. To this sensory mode of the diachronic with the schizo-pa- positions
give meaning to the experience Ogden anxious and depressive.
name of 'contiguous autistic position', discussed- From this perspective, Ogden adds that the
to follow. qualities of the experience in each position
autistic-contiguous, schizo-paranoid and of-
The contiguous-autistic position pressing - they are interdependent, and each one
Close to the Kleinian tradition and the authors provides context for the other. Therefore, there is
from the British school of psychoanalysis, Thomas a sequential chronological relationship between
Ogden seeks to shape a basic level the positions and an interactive simultaneity
primitive aunt of psychic experience. He among them, as the three modes

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of experience represent dimensions of In other words, the normal elaboration

all human experience. the adjacent autistic position depends on
The author uses the word 'autistic' to everything about the mother's and baby's ability to create
designate the most primitive psi organization forms of sensory experience that 'scar-
ecological, although this term is usually "make it bearable" or "let's make consciousness bearable"
associated with the states of pathological autism from the separation, fundamental component
Such states are characterized as a in the genesis of the child experience (Tustin,
psychological system pathologically closed 1986).
done, enclosed, which differs from what In this mode of experience, the contiguous-
Ogden believes it is characteristic of the position of sensory from the surface of the skin, together with
autistic-contiguous. with the rhythm, are basic sensations
He uses this term because he believes that the for the development of the entire set
pathological forms of autism of infantile object relations. They would be relational-
connected with experiences in which the child
[...] involve an hypertrophied version of the it shows, above all, supported, taken care of
types of defense, of the method of assigning meaning spoken by the mother. The sensory experience
to experience, and the way of object relations the autistic-contiguous mode offers the child
characteristic of the normal autistic organization a first impression of the place where one
-contiguous (Ogden, 1989, p. 50). feels, thinks and lives, through certain resources
as shape, contour, hardness, coldness, heat and
The word 'contiguous' is added by texture, which are the beginning of the qualities of
author because she would describe it even better who one is. This is where a rudimentary sense begins to emerge
this organization, since the experience of to- comment on "I-age", which over time
between the baby's body surfaces and creates the sensation of a sensory surface
from the mother is the main means by which the cone- limited (Ogden, 1989).
‘Contiguous’ provides the anti- Ogden resumes Tustin's thought
necessary thesis for the connotations of disconnection to describe two types of experience with
the isolation that the word 'autistic' carries objects that carry significant meanings
(Ogden, 1989, p. 50). so many for the definition of the experience in
For the American psychoanalyst, the position autistic-contiguous mode. The first would be
contiguous autistic should not be seen as a related to the creation of "autistic forms"
system in which the child is isolated from their that arise from the experience of delicate touches
object world, without responding to it. The re- scabs on the surface of the body, responsible
objectual action, in this type of experience, is lived by the most original sensory impressions
in terms of rias. They would be idiosyncratic to each one
of us and associate with bodily substances
[...] sensory surfaces generated by the intera- such as saliva, urine, and feces.
Experiences of shapes in a
the individual's deeds with their objects and by trans-
sensory formations that occur with him in the autistic-contiguous mode contributes to
course of these interactions (Ogden, 1989, p. 51). a sense of cohesion of the self also for
the experience of the perception of that which
Thus, Ogden's idea is that the is becoming an object. Later, in the
interplay of experiences of "uniqueness" development, words like 'comfort',
and of "being separate" from the original relationship calming
mother-baby, makes it tolerable for the baby the temptation, affection, and kindness will be linked to
moments of awareness of this 'being clear- experience of shapes in a way
rado. autistic-contiguous (Ogden, 1989, p. 55).

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The second model for the delimitation In light of this, we find that the anxiety-
from this very primitive sensory experience, data related to the contiguous-autistic position is
as described by Tustin, it is the experience- associated with the breakdown of sensory cohesion and the
with "autistic objects", which marks a body delimitation. According to Ogden, the an-
contrast with the experience of "forms au- anxiety in this experiential mode involves the
"Autistic objects are characterized" experience of imminent disintegration of the
as a super sensory experience sensory surfaces of the baby and their 'rhythms'
hard, angular surface created when an ob- of security" (Tustin, 1986), which results
it is strongly pressed against the skin in the feeling of leaking, dissolves
of the baby. In this form of experience, the in- selling, disappearing, or falling in space-
individual experiences its surfaces as undelimited, shapeless (Bick, 1968;
a hard crust or armor that gives you Gaddini, 1987; Rosenfeld, 1984.
fight against the unspeakable and the unnameable. A Ogden shows us that they can be ob-
the autistic object, therefore, is an impression manifestations observed in some patients
contour sensory that generates security, common autistic-contiguous anxiety,
outlines and protects the body surface of the example, the feeling of not controlling the
individual, who is exposed and vulnerable sphincters and other bodily substances,
travel (Ogden, 1989). or not being able to fall asleep out of fear
In this way, it is possible to affirm that the ex- falling into spaces, infinite and shapeless.
experiences related to "autistic forms" if Many of these patients, in an attempt to ...
they would find in the field of impressions su- to avoid anxiety, they surround themselves with blankets and
this, whereas those relating to the "objec- pillows, keep the lights on or co-
"autistic" would be linked to the realm of I find familiar songs to play at night
rigid impressions. whole (Ogden, 1989).
For Ogden, the experiences lived Giuseppe Civitarese (2008) – what a challenge-
on the surface of the skin are of utmost importance but the thought of Ogden, associating it
girlhood during childhood. They constitute a to other authors - reaffirms that in this phase
area where something like a convergence occurs autistic, the importance of the sub- process
agency between the world of sensory impressions the jetivation falls on the rhythmic succession, or
pre-symbolic plays of the child and the world be, about the ritualization of behavior
interpersonal made by objects that have maternal, which must operate in a circuit
separate existence and out of your control and predictable. The repetition function will be
omnipotent. According to him, it is at this moment responsible for what later enables
that the child will be able to build a shape the emergence of symbolic abilities
to be in the world in frequent relation localization.
with the mother and with the other objects, or she- In this sense, the break in rhythmicity and
to erase a way of being where there is a predo- contiguity of experiences will generate states
sensory dominance that ends up isolating a of 'not being' (not-being), responsible for
self-potential of everything that is found outside of primitive anxieties and strongly characterized
your predominantly sensory world. laughing at the absence of bodily limits.
In other words, Vazar, in this sense, corresponds to fear.
real of being disintegrating, without outlines
[...] as far as the bodily system sufficiently delimited, not anchored
it closes in front of mutually experiences in symbolic equations supported by lin-
transformers with human beings, there is a verbal language. This will indicate a failure in it.
absence of the potential space between the subject and first form of containment, which creates a
the other (Ogden, 1989, p. 60). envelope or a 'psychic skin'.

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Ogden also points to the modes maternal reverie, as presented by Bion,

specific defenses of the autistic experience also indicates that the mother's ability to
contiguous. They are directed to the reestablishment- dreaming your baby, another profound experience
continuation of the delimitation of non-verbal mental, is essential for the
sensory surface and to the ordered rhythmicity his psychic constitution.
Yes, regarding which the initial integrity of the self
rest. Patients are observed trying The analytical space
maintain this bodily cohesion through activities and non-verbal communication
rhythmic muscle data, including long ones Based on Ogden's concepts about the
periods of physical exercise such as walking autistic-contiguous position, we will now address
bicycle, swimming, among others. how the analyst hears what the patient
Esther Bick (1968, 1986) created the term wants to communicate, but is outside
second skin of the symbolic record and the verbal sphere. For
information) to designate how the indi- this, we will outline the nuances of what is usual-
video creates a substitute for the sensation of we call analytical space, where
deterioration of the surface skin cohesion. all sensations, all thoughts and
The subject creates excessive and dysfunctional solutions all feelings are deposited, aren't they?
measures to avoid separation experiences just by the patient, but also, to me-
and loss. not in part, by the analyst himself.
Meltzer (1975) used the term 'iden- According to Civitarese (2008), authors such as
"adhesive labeling" to specifically refer to Winnicott (1956) and Bleger (1967) can be
the defensive adherence to the object with the considered those who contributed the most
intention to alleviate the anxiety of disin- for the modern theory about setting.
integration, typical in these cases. Qualities While for Winnicott, in many cases,
partials of the object, such as odor, voice or it more important than the inter-
visual cues can become a recur- proper interpretation, being seen
of sensory stimulation to which the subject as a component of the analyst system/
you can cling. Thus, what is noticeable is that environment in cases of primary deficiencies
internal function to contain parts of self, the in terms of the ego, Bleger claims its importance
ability to be alone or to comfort oneself reside in the constants within which it
even may not develop sufficiently the analytical therapy. He presents us
mind (Civitarese, 2008). the intriguing hypothesis that the main function-
The concept of contiguous-autistic position The challenge of interpretation lies not so much in
offers us, therefore, an interesting to be aware of what is unconscious, but
perspective of non-verbal communication that in preserving the setting. If Winnicott sees
constantly establishes between patients interpreting gas-setting as tools
You are an analyst. He/She must be attentive todifferent from the analytical process, Bleger, by
this form of experience, especially your turn, they see as complementary.
with highly regressed patients, which He believes that we should include in the en-
they express through non-verbal resources what psychoanalytic framing
what they wish to communicate. This resembles the
primitive experience of the mother-baby dyad, dis- [...] the role of the analyst, the set of facts-
written by Winnicott as an experience spatial (environmental) and temporal spaces, and part
of mutuality, where the mother is able to of the technique (in which we included the established
understanding your baby's needs through mentoring and the maintenance of schedules, honoring
of an affective and sensory tuning, that is rivers, planned interruptions, etc.) (Bleger,
beyond verbal language. The concept of 1967, p. 311.

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For this reason, the author states that the in- quizoide. According to Ogden, besides fear and
interpretation must meet the maintenance of- from the expectation created by the world of
about space, including related issues external objects - which are extremely
to the analytical contract, for the patient dangerous and tyrannical - there is a predo- state
feel safe and supported by the frames predominantly sensory, which is typical of a
that serve as containment. What defined- pre-symbolic dimension, self-centered, that
Bleger's approach is closely related to Winnicott. it stumbles on the limits of psychic representation
the thesis that the framing (setting) re- quica. As we saw earlier, the way
it refers to the symbiosis experienced between mother and baby, or autistic-contiguous is constituted from a
what is deposited in it refers to the this- rudimentary experience, already at its level rel
of non-differentiation once experienced conditional, but still not properly objectual.
for the day. Thus, the subject who lives the condition
Thomas Ogden, in his book Projective schizoid returns
identification and psychotherapeutic tech-
Unique (1982) shows us how, through the the present a mere 're-performance' (re-
projective identification, non-as- contents reenactment) of the past, using ex-objects
similar experiences reported by the patient in their childhood terns as accessories for the re-creation of
they reappear in the relationship with the analyst, and internal drama of a lost time (Og-
as the analyst, in turn, needs to expand den, 1989, p. 85-86.
your capacity for welcome and elaboration
to return these contents in a more According to Fairbairn and Klein, the subject-
assimilable to the patient. the schizoid has as its main resources
The analyst's work, in this case, cer- defensive to the splitting of the ego (splitting) and the iden-
it certainly does not exclude the use of interpretation projective certification. These will, in turn,
verbal. However, the focus in these circumstances the weapons with which he will defend himself from
will rely on the therapist's effort to external world and the persecutory objects to
find a way to speak like your return, so that your internal world can
patient. The recognition of the importance to be preserved. This mode of defense con-
the projective identification in setting marks the figures as an extremely primary resource
start of a differentiated position of ana- motive, which gives to your object relations a
list regarding the patient and the individual themselves primary character, in which the object cannot-
psychoanalytic framework. He begins to exercise jun-will be seen and treated as total. Fairbairn
I'm analyzing a construction function. emphasizes that a certain degree of ego split without-
psychic, experiential and historical, at the same it will be present at more or less levels
time that the semantic meanings and the deep within every human being and resumes the
interpretive contents lose their pro- Klein's thought when he states that "the
tagonism, giving rise to singular modes the basic position of the psyche is invariably
of communication in which rhythms stand out, a schizoid position” (Fairbairn, [1940]
tones, silences, etc. 1980, p. 7). In the relationship with the analyst it will be
Starting from Fairbairn's theses (1952) only possible to verify the degree of depth
the schizoid personality condition, in which the division of the ego is found through
Ogden shows us how the autistic position- of the type of relationship that will be established between
contiguous can be thought of as "the zone the analytical pair.
"vulnerable" or "the darker side" of or- Unlike Klein and Fairbairn,
organization of the schizoid personality. It Ogden believes that ski phenomena
adds to Fairbairn's formulations a zoides have their root in a moment
new aspect present in the personality more primitive than that identified

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by the first two authors. For Ogden, In this regard, Bleger's conceptions
the origin of the schizoid condition lies in Winnicott on settings and complementation
autistic-contiguous modes, where the relationship Yes, on one hand, it is necessary that the
with the object existing only in potential. analyst be flexible, serving as an object/re-
Michael Balint, in 1955, was already pointing to receptacle of fears, traumas, and anxieties of
the challenge posed by such patients to the psyche- patient, on the other hand, the patterns determine
analysis, showing how the technical terms two through the analytical framework as well
what we use to describe the initial period will serve to maintain security rhythms,
mental health rituals refer to experiences seen as a harmonious distribution and
subjective aspects of the oral sphere. In this sense, he regular in the analytical environment.
affirms the need to direct our
knowledge of these very ini- phenomena Final considerations
that is, locating them in spheres related to What becomes evident in the conception of these
to the feelings of warmth, movements authors is that the fusion fantasy throughout
the rhythmic noises, indistinct babble, of life is important for mental health, of
flavors and scents, close physical contact, so that everyone would agree to affirm
muscular and tactile sensations, especially that a true emotional relationship cannot
in the hands, etc. (Balint, 1955). to exist if it is not also based on a
From studies with autistic children fusion fantasy.
done by Meltzer (1975), Tustin (1972, 1981) For Civitarese (2008), what protects the in-
1986), Bick (1968, 1986), Mahler (1952) and the individual of the pathology is, ultimately,
Marcelli (1983, 1986) to the reference studies your ability to switch between continuous
tests for schizoid condition formulated by fathers and discontinuity. Thus, it is possible
Fairbairn (1952), Winnicott (1960, 1974) and to ascertain the continental function of the tan fusion
Guntrip (1969) notes that the rela- to child development with the mother
the relationship between patient and analyst in these cases is how about in the relationship with the analyst.
configures in a quite different way By stating that '[...] any separation-
of those previously described by the psyche- Action can only exist in a dialectical relationship.
classical analysis. with the merger,” Civitarese ([2008] 2010, p.
Additionally, the modes of communication 48) approaches the Winnicottian conception
present in the sessions with patients of this that it will only be possible to conquer some
type surpasses the language barrier independence if there is the possibility of
verbal, highlighting other pos- to live in symbiotic and dependent states
possibilities of clinical listening by the absolute with a primordial object. This al-
analyst. Thus, it is not just the patient- alternation will give the subject the ability to
you have regressed or been severely traumatized to live the separation in a calm manner, and not
that resorts to other communication resources devastating and annihilating.
- usually unconsciously. In Winnicott there is the idea that it isolates-
The analyst also begins to seek in their personal mentoring is an essential facet of ex-
personal and intersubjective experiences recur experience of being alive, that is, a condition-
unconventional SOS to listen, elaborate, necessary action for psychological health. To
represent and, finally, return some ma- for this experience to occur, it is necessary that the
material to the patient. In this movement, before baby may have been able to experience the dialectic of
of everything, he revives together with the patient a separate object.
symbiotic moment - or in the language of Ogden, picking up the winni thought-
Ogden, a contiguous autistic experience - i am concerned about personal isolation, highlights
allowed by the analytical space. another form of isolation, more primitive,

Psychoanalysis Studies | Belo Horizonte-MG | no. 45 | pp. 71–82 | July/2016 79

 Theautistic-contiguouspositionandnon-verbalcommunicationinthepsychoanalyticclinic

that promotes disconnection experiences. The concept of autistic-contiguous position

This type of isolation related to the way au- therefore offers us the necessary understanding
contiguous area is characterized as a sys- various forms of communication
my self-generated sensory, which replaces the mother- present in the analytical dialogue, main-
as an environment in its role of presenting mind those in which there is predominance
the external world to the baby. Such a system creates of non-verbal aspects. In this context, the
an autonomous sensory matrix, which predom- the analyst's listening becomes guided not only
will affect the ways of relating later on through their ears, but also through others
established in adult life. senses that capture intensities beyond
Based on these patients, which funcio- of symbolic registration. This new perspective
I primarily manifest in autistic modes- technique offers the clinic the possibility of
Continuous, Ogden and other psychoanalysts facing new challenges and obstacles, mainly
they think about the clinic and the analytical relationship. When for- mainly those who bump into the li-
mould the idea of interpretative action, Ogden taxes imposed on the analyst by the calls
shows how there is something of communication ana- difficult cases
lytic that subverts verbal logic, placing-
give in the action the interpretative effect. In your
words: Abstract
This article aims to explore the concept of autism.
I understand by interpretative action (or 'interpre- tic-contiguous position formulated by Thomas
action-in-action') the communication that the analyst Ogden. With the considerable increase of so
makes to analyzing your understanding of a called non-neurotic patients, the analyst found
aspect of transfer-countertransference, and himself compelled to expand their listening
through another activity that skills and direct his attention to other forms
no verbal symbolism. [...] Sometimes, the ati- of communication that do not necessarily pass
life of the analyst (as a means for the inter- through verbal language. From the approach-
interpretation) takes the form of a 'verbal action'. offered by object relations theory, we will
Sometimes, the interpretative action implies the discuss the genesis of human communication
voice, but not words (for example, laughter and the way in which its non-verbal aspects
as an analyst) (Ogden, [1994] 1996, p. 104). remain active in later life, offering support for
a further understanding of what one wants to
Considering what has been said so far, be communicated in the analytic relationship.
we consider that the actions of the analyst
Riam, for Ogden, interpretative vehicles Keywords
that transmit to the patient specific aspects Position, Communication, Psychoanalysis
transference relationship signs. In these ter- Object relations.
In fact, interpretation is a form of relationship.
of the object at the same time as the relationship of
the object is configured, to some extent, as
one way of interpretation. Thus,
each object relationship conveys an aspect
from the subject's understanding of the content
latent from the interaction with the object, which colo-
the analytical relationship in a dialectical logic
of presence and absence, in which the analyst
presents now as subject, now as object
intersubjective transferential field.

80 Psychoanalysis Studies
 Theautistic-contiguouspositionandnon-verbalcommunicationinthepsychoanalyticclinic

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Received on: 11/25/2015

Approved on: 12/14/2015

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