Applied Psychology of Religion: A Psychotherapeutic Case

The case study of Mr. K is used to illustrate how the God representation in transference and countertransference can be identified and treated. The focus of the paper is on the implications of the representation of God for both the patient and the psychotherapist. It is argued that the ability to manage the dynamics of transference and countertransference is the basis for dealing with religious expressions in a tactful and considerate way. We follow the treatment of Mr. K, someone with a borderline personality organisation with paranoid features, from a psychodynamic frame of reference. Aggressive and religious themes emerged in the treatment. Both the working relationship and the representation of God were characterised by aggressive and desperate control. Once the working relationship had survived the storms of aggression, the patient was able to trust the therapist with his God representation and clarify how the God representation played a role in regulating his aggression. The therapist was able to accept the patient’s distress and to express that he needed support. As therapy progressed, the therapist was able to make it clear to Mr. K that his aggression was necessary to keep him away from the debilitating feeling of total abandonment. The patient began to use the therapist; that is, he began to benefit from what the psychotherapist was offering him.