Application of the OLI IPP Approach in Working with a Woman in Perimenopause: A Case Study Through the Lens of Time
Abstract
Aim: This paper aims to illustrate, through a case presentation of a woman in perimenopause, the application of the OLI Integrative Psychodynamic Psychotherapy (OLI IPP) approach and the concept of basic developmental competencies of personality (BEC) in understanding and treating difficulties related to eating behavior, physical activity, and self-regulation, with particular attention to time as a clinical dimension of experience.
Method: A qualitative single-case presentation from clinical practice was used. The client, a 49-year-old woman, sought help due to difficulties in regulating body weight, eating behavior, and physical activity in the context of perimenopause. An integrative approach was applied, combining psychodynamic formulation through BEC with principles of lifestyle medicine and behavioral and coaching interventions.
Results: Psychodynamic analysis revealed deficits in mentalization, neutralization, object constancy and wholeness, tolerance of frustration and ambivalence, will, and initiative, which maintained patterns of impulsive eating, abandonment of physical activity, and self-punitive attitudes. Targeted interventions led to improvements in eating regulation, tolerance of discomfort, physical functioning, and the client's internal dialogue.
Conclusion: Difficulties in changing life habits during perimenopause cannot be adequately understood or treated solely as a lack of discipline or motivation. They require an integrative approach connecting psychodynamic understanding of emotional capacities, medical assessment of bodily changes, and structured behavioral and coaching interventions, together with an understanding of how the person lives in time throughout the process of change.
Keywords: perimenopause, time in psychoanalysis, OLI integrative psychodynamic psychotherapy, basic developmental competencies of personality, lifestyle medicine
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How to cite
Rueger, M. (2026). Application of the OLI IPP Approach in Working with a Woman in Perimenopause: A Case Study Through the Lens of Time. Insights, Vol. 3, No. 1 (2026), 118–132. https://doi.org/10.67978/INSIGHTS.2026.3.6