MATERNITY FANTASIES AND SUBSTITUTE OBJECTS: THE CLINICAL ENIGMA OF REBORN BABIES AND THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF PSYCHOLOGY

Abstract

This article aims to explore the current essence of Reborn babies, possible fantasies of motherhood and substitute objects, as a clinical enigma for psychology. To this end, a narrative literature review was conducted, focusing on articles published in scientific databases and materials published on the internet by reputable media outlets. A reborn baby is a handmade art doll that resembles a human baby with the greatest possible realism. The process of creating a reborn baby is called rebirthing and doll artists are called reborns. Currently, much has been said about the subject with the viralization of news about people extremely attached to their reborn babies, with difficulty distinguishing between fantasy and reality. In this sense, Psychology needs to pay attention to this phenomenon, and to support itself technically and scientifically in its practices with this public. Qualified listening and psychotherapy will be essential tools to meet this demand.