Fiorenzo Ranieri
The article “The Denied Body: Clinical and Countertransference Dynamics in Hikikomori Withdrawal” was published in the March 2026 issue of the Journal of Child Psychotherapy.
Abstract
Social withdrawal, known as hikikomori, represents a complex clinical condition in which the body is often silenced and withdrawn from relational exchange. This paper explores the role of the bodily dimension in psychoanalytic psychotherapy with adolescents and young adults, with particular attention to the therapist’s countertransference reactions. The concept of psychic retreat is used to understand how the body becomes the main vehicle for non-symbolisable communications. Starting from the premise that enactment is the language of the retreat, clinical vignettes illustrate how this process can become a transformative moment when recognised and worked through within the analytic field. The containing function allows the transformation of what has been evacuated into the body into shareable thoughts, thereby reopening a relational space. The paper emphasises the importance of keeping the patient’s body alive in the therapist’s mind, to give meaning to what cannot be said and to restore the possibility of connection with the Other.
Keywords:
Hikikomori; body and psychotherapy; psychic retreat; countertransference; enactment
Ranieri, F. (2026). The denied body: clinical and countertransference dynamics in hikikomori withdrawal. Journal of Child Psychotherapy, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/0075417X.2026.2639574