The Psychoanalytic Space
The Psychoanalytic Space is a phrase that can apply in three ways: firstly, to the physical space (the consulting room, waiting room, etc.); secondly, to the metaphorical space – the ‘womb-like’ atmosphere or ‘field’ which provides a place to think, feel, dream and host the analytic relationship; and thirdly, to the reverie-inducing space, which is a combination of both metaphorical and physical elements. The reverie-inducing space is a semiotic synthesis because it brings together what the space must do and how that will be done.
What we know as ‘mind’ or ‘self’ begins with the very foundational, sensory experiences that we all encounter as infants. We come into the world in a storm of sensory experience – texture, sound, vision, smell and taste. How we experience and process such sensory states is the beginning of our sense of self. The therapist-patient connection within the psychoanalytic space explores these pre-verbal, pre-symbolic sensory experiences. It draws on the metaphor of the enveloping and evolving bond between mother and infant.
This thesis will explore the place of the thinking, feeling, sensing body in ‘analytic space’, with a focus on auditory experience. Attention to the senses is paramount in the attempt to achieve a safe, facilitative ‘flowingness’ within the space.
The psychoanalytic space is also an architectural space (see photo below), thoughtfully constructed to host and frame the the physical and metaphorical aspects of the psychoanalytic encounter.
My psychotherapy office, shown above, was refurbished as part of this PhD project to focus on facilitating psychoanalytic goals of creativity, emotional safety and depth of thought. Design elements of colour and texture were introduced to emphasise the sensory environment. In the waiting room, the mesh-like curve of an artist’s mural was intended to draw the patient’s eye upward to the high-pitched cathedral ceilings to encourage reverie.
The indigo tones of the consulting room are thought to evoke a sense of reflectiveness and containment. This shade of blue underscores the contrasting cathedral ceilings, painted a warm white. The moss-like carpet feels plush and cool underfoot. In the waiting room, specially-curated music is heard from myriad unobtrusive speakers surrounding the listener, from six different room locations. The scent of vaporised oils complements the office’s curated elements of wood, stone and textured surfaces. Care is taken to engage, but not overpower the senses. Moving through concentric circles to the innermost circle of the consulting room (street > office lobby > inner courtyard > waiting room > consulting room) represents movement from outer to inner, towards facilitating the range of emotions to be experienced in the psychoanalytic session.
Inevitably, there are shades of light and dark in the atmosphere of the psychoanalytic space. Any music chosen for this space should be ‘not so light’ as to cover over darker emotions, and not so dark as to precipitate intense sadness or anxiety. Above all, the atmosphere, assisted by music, should engender a feeling of spaciousness, safe enough to facilitate all shades of emotional expression.