VISIONS OF THE DEAD: IMAGINATION AND MOURNING

Abstract

Contemporary research recognizes the existence of an ongoing attachment between the mourner and the deceased. This research tends to focus on the subjective aspects of the attachment--the mourner's memory and emotions. A complementary perspective is offered by archetypal psychology, which considers the deceased to exist outside the mourner's subjectivity as an autonomous image. This approach is illustrated by an exemplary case: a woman named Verda who experienced the death of her twin sister,Vera.Their account suggests that Verda's mourning derives from her encounters with Vera's continuing imaginal presence.