Freud coined the term "countertransference" to cover therapists' feelings arising both out of (1) their strong personal reactions to how they were being perceived and responded to by their patients, and (2) from therapists' own erotic or negative transferences coming toward their patients. For over fifty years such feelings were viewed only as problematic disturbances in the way of good therapy, and therefore needed to be clarified and cleaned out by a therapist returning to their own analysis.
Beginning in the 1950's a wholly different understanding of countertransference began to emerge. A therapist's feelings and images began to be viewed as often containing essential insights into their patient's inner world. But since Freud and Jung diverged as to what such inner worlds contain, there remained radically different views both as to what exactly a therapist is tuning into via his or her own emerging feelings during therapy and, even more problematic, how to work with these emotional realities in the moment.
During this lecture, Dr. Geis will give clinical examples of senior therapists risking bringing forward their own emotional and imaginative responses evoked in the intersubjective fields they share with their patients. In any vitally important psychotherapy a patient's self is evolving into a more authentic version of who they really are.
We will examine how a therapist's understanding and use of his or her countertransference can further this evolution in their patient and in themselves.
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