I think it refers to fragmentation and how your psyche is organized around your self/object representations.

That you go through the process of beginning to fragment followed by recovering with the help from your T and his unwavering consistency builds your ego strength so that you internalize him as an object and your ego is able to hold yourself together on your own.

Self Psychology and Fragmentation

Columbia University - Structural Theory

I experienced this for a long time in therapy but no longer fragment.