Guilt becomes thinkable: Interactional history of therapy after ambiguous loss

This study analyzes the interactional history of couples therapy after an abortion that evoked feelings of guilt the couple topicalized and reflected on during their therapy. The study focuses on (1) the changes in the organization of the sequences through which guilt is addressed and (2) the longitudinal change in expressions of guilt throughout the therapeutic process. During the early and middle parts of the therapy, the participants approached their guilt cautiously and indirectly. Toward the end of the therapeutic process, the participants invoked the topic of guilt in a more straightforward and less cautious manner. At the beginning of the therapeutic process, the couple externalized their guilt by complaining that they were blamed by others. Later, this external blame was transformed into intensive self-blame. As the therapy continued, the self-blame became less intensive as the clients adopted a more reflective stance toward their guilt. The data are in Polish.