The birth of a baby brings the mother to a special psychological state that allows her to exercise her maternal functions in order to create a facilitating environment for her child's development. We present a clinical case study where this relation came to a dilemma that caused a demand for psychoanalysis treatment where both came to the sessions presenting different defense mechanisms: somatic illness (baby) and rationalizing (mother). We describe some clinical movements trying to understand them from some of Winnicott's concepts of integration, personalizing, holding and potential space. We conclude by proposing that clinical space can perform the function of potential space so that the unity mother/baby might more differentiation. Some considerations about transference and counter-transference are made.
psychoanalytic clinic; primary mother preoccupation; potential space