The living body in the psychoanalytic experience.

Instead of viewing body and psyche as two "substances," the author proposes that they be seen as two ways of experiencing the complex reality of the human being. Clinically, this translates into an exploration of the possibility of including the somatic in the territory of what can be represented--that is, recognizing in somatic and sensory elements and in bodily functions the potential for meaning and language, appreciating their status as precursors of representation. These somatic signals may be detected in a dialogue involving not only the minds of analyst and analysand, but also their bodies. Clinical examples are given involving different bodily functions.