Exploring the mother tongue: insights into psychoanalytic practice

This paper delves into the potential within psychoanalytic psychology to forge a new language between patient and analyst, facilitating a reconnection with parts of the psyche immobilized and numbed by overwhelming experiences. Through various clinical illustrations, the discussion centers on the concept of the mother tongue as a psycho-sensory experience capable of crafting a psychological space for storing and processing experiences. Rooted in psychoanalytic theory, these reflections are significantly supported by scientific findings from Infant Research, which, via empirical studies, underscores the vital role of the vocal interplay between mother and infant in developing a mental framework that can endure and conceptualize emotions.