The author asserts that the closed heart referred to in the Scriptures manifests itself through a defensive false self and an I-It mode of relating. Through an object relations informed treatment, it is proposed that the closed heart may be transformed into an open heart manifested through a real self and I-Thou forms of relating. This transformation allows the individual to love self and others in a more mature way.
Keywords: object relations; open heart; transformation.
© The Author(s) 2015.