The Wisdom of Sharing a Frame: Commentary on Papers by Anthony Bass and Ilana Laor

In this discussion I agree with Anthony Bass, who shows how the analytic frame has properties that involve both the process and the structure, and I suggest replacing the term structure with the term constraints. Bass considers analytic frames as contexts: Different frames organize different contexts of experience. He says that the frame is cocreated by patient and analyst and evolves over time. I think that Dafna's case presented by Ilana Laor is a good example of this aspect. I agree with Laor, who shows how the frame reflects the negotiation process between patient and analyst, emphasizing that this process itself is therapeutic. Following Bass I emphasize that a polarization between stability versus flexibility should be replaced by the dialectic between stability and flexibility. I conclude wondering how Bass's and Laor's “wisdom” regarding flexibility and elasticity can be passed over to younger psychoanalysts who are beginning their clinical work.