“Whoever remains unmoved, whoever cannot contemplate, or know the deep shudder of the soul in enchantment, might just as well be dead, for he has already closed his eyes on life.” – Albert Einstein
The purpose of this study is to call attention to a powerful, and somewhat mystifying experience that I call ‘enchantment’. I will define, and explore the qualities of this experience, and will attempt to present the developmental process that is likely to be in the background of this emotional construct.
I will argue that the enchantment-experience is connected to the ‘playspace’ (in Conversational Model) and it is functionally important in affect regulation as it plays a self-soothing and vitalising role. Via reviewing a number of relevant analytical concepts and providing clinical examples, I aim to integrate the experience of enchantment into the body of psychotherapies and into the mind-frame of psychotherapists.