Containment isn’t just for therapy—it’s a part of daily life. Parents, partners, and even leaders help others manage emotions by listening, reflecting, and holding feelings with care. Bion’s insights remind us that resilience grows in relationships, shaping how we parent, work, and love in meaningful ways.

In therapy, overwhelming feelings can be shared with the therapist, who holds and reflects on them without judgment. This process—described by Bion as containment—helps patients internalize a new way of managing emotions. Over time, what once felt unbearable becomes thinkable, building resilience and deeper self-understanding.

We often assume the ability to reflect on feelings and understand others comes naturally. In fact, this capacity—called mentalization—is learned in our earliest relationships. When caregivers imagine and respond to a baby’s distress, they teach that emotions can be understood and managed. Therapy renews this process, helping us think about our own mind and others’ with more clarity, resilience, and compassion.

A psychoanalytic psychologists reflects on the common request by patients or clients for 'tools' for their mental health.

Our ability to manage emotions doesn’t begin inside us—it begins in relationships. As infants, we rely on caregivers to hold and make sense of feelings too big for us to handle. Over time, these experiences shape our resilience and become part of our inner world

The phenomenon where trauma experienced by one generation impact subsequent generations, is a complex and profound process.

In the world of therapy, many of us seek meaningful change but might feel wary of the time commitment traditionally associated with longer-t

Understanding the basics of depression. Am I depressed? Hopeful news about a highly treatable condition.

The myth of Narcissus and Echo is a tragedy. Navigating romantic relationships is challenging when a partner is pathologically narcissistic.

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Making the Most Out of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy