Impact of early relational trauma on children's mentalizing capacity and play: A clinical illustration

Introduction. - Numerous theoretical, clinical and empirical works have demonstrated the importance of children's mentalizing capacity and play for their psychosocial functioning. It is through parent-child interaction that children discover that they are inhabited by emotions, thoughts and intentions. More specifically, play within the parent-child relationship enables children to develop their representational world, that is, the capacity to have access to mental representations in the absence of objects or situations that evoke them. However, young children's chronic exposure to repeated experiences of maltreatment and neglect interferes with the development of their mentalizing capacity and play. Objective. - The purpose of this article is to present some theoretical and clinical reflections on the impact of early relational trauma on these two abilities. Method. - The objectives, the therapeutic attitudes and the intervention techniques that can be used to help children overcome the effects of early relational trauma are exposed. The presentation of a clinical case allows illustrating the mentalization problems, traumatic play and themes of a child that experienced extreme neglect and physical abuse. Conclusion. - In closing, indicators of the psychic elaboration of early relational trauma in the context of psychotherapy are presented. (C) 2020 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.