Countertransference Disclosure and the Conceptualization of Analytic Technique

Abstract

Most discussions of countertransference disclosure have focused on points of impasse. Here, I will discuss countertransference disclosure in which the analyst attempts to make explicit to the patient how the analyst experiences something during an analytic session that differs from the way the patient experiences the same moment. The analyst presents his observation as something for the patient and analyst to work on together, with the aim of arriving at further understanding. In a clinical example, I suggest a way of comparing uses of countertransference that relate to other approaches in analytic technique. Since the analyst's disclosure evokes questions regarding asymmetry and anonymity in the analytic process, I will briefly elaborate these dimensions.