Wayne: The Emptiness of the Unloved Child
Keywords:
Unloved child, integrative psychotherapy, relational psychotherapy, child abuse, child neglect, in-depth psychotherapy, case presentationAbstract
This article describes the in-depth psychotherapy of a client who was an unloved child. His presenting problems were alcoholism and a nagging sense of emptiness. Through a developmentally based, relationally focused integrative psychotherapy, and with the assistance of AA, the client was able to stop using alcohol, remember his experiences of neglect and abuse, express his internalized anger, and establish a sense of contentment with himself.