Function of the “Third” in Psychotherapy

From the Interview Process with a Middle-Aged Woman Who Suffers from Depression through the Use of Dreams and the Baum Test

Abstract

In this study, an image was captured as the “third” in psychotherapy, in order to review its function through a case. The case describes a psychotherapy process over one and a half years for a woman in her 50s who had been diagnosed with depression. Dreams and Baum test were used, which functioned as the “third” in the dyadic relationship between the therapist and client. This function of the “third” created a triad structure in which the dyadic relationship was solidified when such a relationship had not previously been achieved. Through these experiences, the client gradually changed her self-image from an object that is to be exposed and “seen”, to an object that “sees,” and a vessel to contain also began to be formed. The Baum facilitated expression, while Baum and expression provided alterity, which could create a new self.