All the World’s a Stage

Abstract

This article focuses on how games unfold as transferential dramas in the consulting room theater. The author explores how the therapist's countertransference can become an avenue for understanding the client's unspoken communication. Eric Berne's idea that games can be played in three degrees of intensity is suggested as a framework for thinking about and using countertransference. The author proposes that resolution of a game often requires an emotional shift within the therapist.