Somatic Memory and (Un)Certain Futures in the Narratives of Jonah and Harry Guntrip

This paper explores the intersection of biblical exegesis and psychoanalytic theory, placing the narrative of Jonah as interpreted by Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg, in dialogue with the clinical autobiography of psychoanalyst Harry Guntrip. Central to this study is the concept of third spaces—psychological clearings that emerge both within and beyond the primary dyadic relationship. By examining Jonah’s reaction to the short-lived gourd and Guntrip’s reaction to the death of D.W. Winnicott, I argue that both figures suffer from an "interruption in holistic memory” caused by early childhood trauma, which results in foreclosed perceptions of the future. Trauma-related affects reside in these bodies, initially unbearable, leading to schizoid withdrawals from self and others. The paper concludes that the emergence of therapeutic third spaces allows for the integration of previously undetectable affect to begin, moving the subject from states of withdrawal toward capacities for uncertainty, emotional intimacy, and possibility.