The golden fantasy: A regressive reaction to separation anxiety

Discusses a fantasy that eventually unfolds in the course of analysis and becomes the basis of a significant resistance to treatment. The fantasy is the wish to have all of one’s needs met in a relationship hallowed by perfection. The 1st appearance of the fantasy is likely to occur within the transference when the patient reveals his/her high expectations of the analyst. The fantasy is more likely to be seen in infantile, narcissistic, and schizoid patients. The fantasy seems to be linked with an emotionally charged memory of the mother’s loss. As the fantasy emerges, the issue of resistance to change becomes the focus of the analytic work. Giving up of the fantasy is a prerequisite to emotional growth and to any movement in the direction of a meaningful individuation.