The internal twin - the dynamics of twinning in couple relationships

This full-day workshop, for individual, group, family and couple psychotherapists and counsellors, will explore the dynamics of the twin relationship, and the effects of persistent internal twinning on all future relationships in the life of each twin. This includes the ongoing relationship with the other twin, and those within couple, parent-child and therapist-client relationships.

This is the second of two workshops by Vivienne Lewin at Tavistock Relationships, and it will build on the understanding gained from the first, looking in greater depth at the nature of internal twinning. The day will also be fully accessible to newcomers who did not attend the first workshop.

Consideration will be given to clinical material and a detailed understanding of the structure of the internal twin will be developed over the course of the day.

The enduring unconscious twin relationship has a deep base originating before birth, creating a unique pre-verbal, proto-mental, somatic series of experiences and memories for each twin. This internal twinning will be projected onto others in the lives of the twins and will colour all their relationships.

While parental and other sibling relationships also affect relationships in this manner, they differ from the twin relationship in that the generational or age differences between the participants facilitate a degree of resolution of the transference between them. In the twin relationship, it is based on such deep unconscious experiences that it is much more difficult to process and contain.

In intimate couple relationships, the projection of the twinning relationship needs to be recognised and addressed if the couple are to achieve a mature and balanced relationship, rather than one based on the projections of the more narcissistic aspects of the twin relationship.

While such projections are common in all relationships, they are particularly problematic when they originate from the unconscious aspects of the twin relationship with its often visceral unconscious dimensions, and the push towards enacting the twin transference.

Vivienne will present clinical material illustrating the differing types of twinning from her work with twin pairs. She will also look in detail at clinical material showing the effects of the primitive unconscious twinning on the therapeutic process. She will invite participants to bring material from their own practice to explore and discuss how the twin relationship is affecting the work with that twin, and the effects of the twin relationship on other relationships.

About the trainer

Vivienne Lewin is a psychoanalytic psychotherapist in private practice, now mostly retired. She trained at the London Centre for Psychotherapy (now the British Psychotherapy Foundation) and was a training therapist and supervisor. She is a Fellow of the British Psychotherapy Foundation. She supervises, teaches, and writes, with a focus on twin relationships.

Book here: https://tavistockrelationships.ac.uk/forthcoming-events/1257-internal-twin

Please note that the event will take place on the fourth floor and lift access will not be available until late 2019.