The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey Through Madness

With Mrs. Jones, Elyn begins therapy involving Kleinian analysis, a treatment derived from Sigmund Freud. Kleinian analysis views individuals with psychosis as filled with great anxiety, and treatment involves focusing directly on the sources of anxiety to provide relief. A Kleinian analyst remains fairly anonymous to their patient, and repeats words and feelings expressed by the patient in an attempt to unbiasedly mirror and explore them.

Mrs. Jones is tolerant, patient, and empathetic with Elyn during their sessions, listening to her unfiltered ramblings without judgment and sorting out the feelings from the fantasies. Elyn begins to feel less paranoid over the course of time. She does not believe she has a problem; rather, she believes others experience similar thoughts and feelings as her, but they know how to mask them better. With Mrs. Jones’ help, Elyn begins to mask her thoughts and feelings better, too, and she starts to socialize and make friends again. Elyn eventually confides in her new friends about her past mental health issues, though she does not disclose the full extent of the problem, particularly her delusions of evil.