Closeness and Intimacy

In this paper I am trying to open up a line of thinking that has been developing in my mind for some years. I start by defining what I mean by closeness and intimacy. Then I describe what led me into thinking about the topic of closeness and intimacy, a topic not often touched on in analytic training or writing. I then describe something that happened in a session that struck me as unusual. I go on to look at three papers that came to my mind in this context, and then discuss the development of my thoughts. I conclude that closeness and intimacy – which I see as having a more powerful effect on a patient than closeness – are mutative phenomena in their own right, as well as being an essential part of therapy.