Under the co-twin's shadow: emotional experiences of a Survivor

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Psychoanalytic literature on emotional development in twins remains limited. Twin pregnancies are considered high risk due to the constant possibility of fetal or neonatal death. However, the emotional repercussions experienced by the surviving twin following the loss of the co-twin have been scarcely investigated. This study highlights the importance of applying psychoanalytic principles to better understand the aspects mobilized in the survivor in such circumstances. OBJECTIVE: To identify and analyze clinical facts observed during the psychotherapeutic process of a woman mourning the death of her twin. METHOD: The study involved a psychotherapist and an adult patient whose twin died during childbirth. The psychoanalytic clinical fact construction method was employed to analyze psychotherapy session reports from a psychological clinic at a public university. Data analysis consisted of identifying clinical facts, selecting the most frequent ones, and interpreting them based on psychoanalytic principles. RESULTS: Clinical facts related to emotions arising from grief over the loss of the co-twin were prominent and organized into three thematic categories: feelings of emptiness, guilt, and helplessness. CONCLUSION: The loss of the co-twin profoundly influenced the patient’s emotional life, both in relation to herself and her family relationships.