[To die and to be! Archetypal view of puberty crisis].

Abstract

The myth of death and rebirth is illustrated by a series of drawings, sandplays and dreams produced by an adolescent during a depressive crisis. This material is compared with the symbolism in initiation rites of the primitives. Astonishing parallels are found, i.e. the same archetypal motifs, as a manifestation of the collective unconscious. The transforming energies of these symbols are revealed through the course of therapy.