The outcome is a state of mind in which there is failure in the integration of consciousness, a disconnection that fluctuates in degree from mild and barely perceptible to severe and florid, manifest in sharp and shifting changes in mood, relatedness and behaviour. The condition cannot be understood simply in terms of a single individual, as an isolated entity, but as an aspect of the function of a larger organism that includes the social world. It is in the sphere of interpersonal relations that much of the DSM syndrome of BPD is defined’.
Through the development of analogical relatedness via the proto-conversation, I will describe a phasic approach to the borderline patient, and emphasise the importance of becoming aware of, and understanding dissociation and the many forms in which dissociation may present.