16/12/2025
Exploring the Claustro–Agoraphobic Dilemma in Therapy
Intimacy and autonomy are in constant tension in relationships, and also the therapeutic relationship. How do clients who have experienced developmental trauma with parents who were intrusive, misattuned and unable to find a rhythm of rupture and repair navigate the push and pull between the fear of being too close and taken over or engulfed and the fear of being left alone, abandoned or annihilated?
Join Kate Thompson, psychoanalytic couple psychotherapist and author, for an illuminating seminar exploring this delicate balance.
Drawing on the work of Rey, Bion, Winnicott, Britton, Emanuel, and Steiner, Kate will guide discussions on:
▪️ Theoretical foundations of the claustro–agoraphobic dilemma
▪️ Clinical vignettes from couple and individual therapy
▪️Techniques for managing transference, countertransference, and distance regulation
▪️How external pressures, like lockdowns and compressed living, intensify these dynamics
This seminar offers clinicians insights to better support patients oscillating between closeness and distance, enhancing both therapeutic effectiveness and relational understanding.
Event Details:
🗓 Friday, March 6, 2026 I14:00 – 17:30 (Drinks reception included for in-person attendees)
📍 Freud Museum, London & Online via Zoom
📚 Ticket Includes: Recording, CPD certificate (3 credits), live Q&A opportunities & drinks reception (in person)
🎟 https://trtogether.com/events/understanding-fears-of-engulfment-and-abandonment
🎟 https://trtogether.com/events/understanding-fears-of-engulfment-and-abandonment-online