Clinical Evidence, Triangulation of Perspectives, and Contextualization. Part 2: Ending an Endless Process.

Abstract

We explored the dynamics of treatment termination in a patient with borderline personality organization who underwent eight years of transference-focused psychotherapy (TFP). A previous paper examined the beginnings of this treatment (Bernardi and Eidlin 2024). In both papers, we aim to strengthen the clinical evidence through further contextualization and triangulation of perspectives. We analyze the relationship between the end of treatment, therapeutic gains in relation to self and other, and the likelihood that these gains will be maintained and extended once the patient is on his or her own. The contributions of complex systems models to the study of dynamic, open, and non-linear clinical interactions are explored.