Countertransference and changes in the conception of the psychoanalytic relationship

Zachrisson, Anders

doi:10.1080/08037060902727761

Cited by 15 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…The use of a Feeling Word Checklist may enhance self-awareness and enable therapists to be more attentive countertransference reactions. In addition, a continuous oscillation between reflection and empathic atonement; that is, countertransference analysis (Zachrisson, 2009), may be facilitating when pondering on what to say or do in order to assist patients in their struggle towards emotional, cognitive, and behavioral change with the means of a talking cure. At its best, the countertransference may inform and personalize interventions in ways that turn out to be helpful for the patient.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This working out unfolds in a continuous oscillation between reflection and empathic atonement and is nowadays often referred to as "countertransference analysis"" (pp 187; Zachrisson, 2009).…”

Section: Historical and Theoretical Premisesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this dissertation it is argued that as we do not know the unconscious, the unconscious countertransference is not available for inspection, outside supervision or without enactments; forgetting, falling asleep, not being able to collect payments, or end the session, which may be indications of unconscious countertransference (Zachrisson, 2009). A supervisor may help the therapist to become aware of unconscious aspects of the countertransference through how the therapist talks about the case, and audio or video tapes from sessions.…”

Section: Empirical Research On Countertransferencementioning

confidence: 99%

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Countertransference feelings in one year of individual therapy: An evaluation of the factor structure in the Feeling Word Checklist-58

Dahl

Røssberg

Bøgwald

et al. 2012

Psychotherapy Research

125

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Although countertransference phenomena have been given much attention within psychotherapy theory, single-case studies and clinical anecdotes, empirical research is still conspicuous by its absence. To assess the therapists' emotional reactions, which are understood to be part of the countertransference (CT), we used the Feeling Word Checklist 58 (Røssberg, Hoffart, & Friis, 2003); a self-report questionnaire, comprising 58 feeling words. The aims of the present study were to examine the underlying factor structure and psychometric properties of these factors, and to validate the factors by exploring the relationships between countertransference feelings and the following variables: therapeutic alliance, patient personality pathology, suitability for psychodynamic therapy, interpersonal problems, level of general functioning, and symptoms. Six therapists, who treated 75 patients, with weekly, psychodynamic therapy, over 1 year, completed the checklist after each session. To establish the number of subscales in the checklist, a principal component analysis with promax rotation was conducted. The analysis revealed four clinically meaningful factors named Confident, Inadequate, Parental and Disengaged. The psychometric properties of all subscales proved to be acceptable. Alliance as reported by both patient and therapist showed differential correlations with the subscales. The patients' relational functioning showed stronger correlations with the CT feelings than the patients' symptoms and level of functioning. The four subscales found in the Feeling Word Checklist-58 seem to capture clinically meaningful aspects of the therapeutic dyad, and countertransference feelings are systematically related to different relational variables.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Historical and Theoretical Premisesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Empirical Research On Countertransferencementioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Countertransference feelings in one year of individual therapy: An evaluation of the factor structure in the Feeling Word Checklist-58

Dahl

Røssberg

Bøgwald

et al. 2012

Psychotherapy Research

125

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Therapeutic attitude refers to the usual mindset of a given therapist as a function of his or her particular theoretical approach to psychotherapy—which is part of a wider frame commonly designated as the therapeutic setting (Zachrisson, ). Examples include the so‐called evenly‐hovering attention (Freud/hovering attention (Freud, ) for psychoanalysts; congruence, positive regard, and empathy (Rogers, ) for humanistic‐experiential therapists; or a more rationalist, active, and directive stance among cognitive‐behavioural therapists (McGinn & Sanderson, ).…”

Section: A Model Of Countertransference Experiencementioning

confidence: 99%

Mentalizing countertransference? A model for research on the elaboration of countertransference experience in psychotherapy

Barreto

Matos

2018

Clin Psychology and Psychoth

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As a construct, the elaboration of countertransference experience (ECE) is intended to depict the implicit and explicit psychological work to which therapists submit their experiences with clients. Through ECE, defined as a mentalizing process of a particular kind, therapists' experiences are presumed to acquire and increase in mental quality and become available for meaning-making and judicious clinical use. In this paper, we claim that such an ongoing process facilitates engagement with common therapeutic factors, such as the therapeutic alliance and countertransference management, enhancing therapist responsiveness in psychotherapy. We synthesize relevant literature on countertransference, mentalization, and, in particular, therapists' mentalization, informed by a systematic literature review. As a result, we propose a model for assessing ECE in psychotherapy, comprising 6 diversely mentalized countertransference positions (factual-concrete, abstract-rational, projective-impulsive, argumentative, contemplative-mindful, and mentalizing), 2 underlying primary dimensions (experiencing, reflective elaboration), and 5 complementary dimensions of elaboration. Strengths and limitations of the model are discussed.

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“…While there is a substantial body of literature on countertransference generally, there is less written about somatic countertransference in particular. The area of countertransference is theoretically complex and its development is tracked and commented on by authors including Gabbard (, ), Richards (), Smith () and Zachrisson (). The concept has undergone two fundamental shifts since it was first introduced by Freud () where it was understood as the analyst's transference to the patient's transference and viewed as a difficulty which analysts should do their best to overcome.…”

Section: Theoretical Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Craving Interpretation: A Case of Somatic Countertransference

Gubb¹

2014

Brit J Psychotherapy

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Contemporary psychoanalysis views the countertransference as equally important to the therapeutic endeavour as its counterpart, the transference. This paper focuses on a particular kind of countertransference phenomena: those which are bodily in form and perceivable to the patient. It begins with a brief rehearsal of some of the fundamental psychoanalytic principles related to bodily symptoms, and then reviews the developments and changes that have occurred in the understanding of the concept of countertransference. The focus then shifts to theoretical developments around somatic countertransference in particular, and the division seen in the literature between authors who locate the source of the phenomenon of somatic countertransference in the patient's unconscious, and those who locate it in the therapist. The paper will argue that exploring the uniqueness and specificity of the therapeutic dyad will reveal important information about the dynamics at work in the therapy. A clinical example illustrates the specificity of the form that a somatic countertransference takes in a particular therapy. It then proposes that in order to make sense of the rich information that this unique response provides, the therapist must mentalize and make meaning of her particular somatic experience by way of a therapeutic analysis of reverie.

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Countertransference and changes in the conception of the psychoanalytic relationship

Cited by 15 publications

References 14 publications

Countertransference feelings in one year of individual therapy: An evaluation of the factor structure in the Feeling Word Checklist-58

Countertransference feelings in one year of individual therapy: An evaluation of the factor structure in the Feeling Word Checklist-58

Mentalizing countertransference? A model for research on the elaboration of countertransference experience in psychotherapy

Craving Interpretation: A Case of Somatic Countertransference

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