The Mutually Facilitating Maturational Matrix

The author discusses several significant points made by Dr. Lewis Aron in his rich discussion of birth fantasies and themes in relation to perinatal familial circumstances. Contributing a wide variety of clinical vignettes, Dr. Willock portrays the possibility (perhaps the necessity) of revisiting and revising these foundational fantasies as the patient’s internal object world is reconfigured. New birth fantasies often first see the light of day in dreams. As the transformative thrust gains momentum, constricted repetition yields to promising renaissance. New hope and enthusiasm begins replacing archaic, limiting, organizing principles. Embracing a comparative-integrative approach, the author considers a year of the analysis described by Dr. Aron from multiple perspectives. Each viewpoint contributes something unique to our understanding. Combined, these diverse frameworks shed valuable light on the nature of the presenting difficulties and the impressive analytic progress achieved by Dr. Aron and his analysand.