Intercorporeality and the Transference Phenomenon

Abstract

This article aims to propose elements to understand the role of corporeality in the transference phenomenon based on the articulation between psychoanalytic listening and two ideas from Merleau-Ponty’s philosophy: the concepts of body schema and intercorporeality. The transference relationship is revisited through the lens of Merleau-Ponty’s thesis that our relationships with others are based on a corporeal, unconscious, and libidinal infrastructure. We hope to present a possible reading and complementation tool to elucidate the intercorporeal substrate present in the transference neurosis revealed by Freud.