Rescue fantasies in the personal and professional relational narratives of psychotherapists

Abstract

This study explores rescue fantasies in the experiences of therapists in their relationship with their clients and in their personal relationships. Twenty female therapists participated in a reading procedure aimed to prompt themes of rescue followed by a relationships anecdotes paradigm (RAP) interview in which they recounted relational narratives with their parents, their own children and their clients. Adapting the Core Conflictual Relationships Themes (CCRT) method, our analysis of rescue wishes in the relational narratives leads to the identification of two major types of therapists' propensities towards rescue awareness: rescuer and dialectic. These types are characterised by different dynamics of ongoing interpersonal conflicts involved in the strength and nature of rescue fantasies. The findings reveal the dominance of rescue themes in therapists' interpersonal and professional experiences. Our illustration of the rescue types as revealed by the narratives highlights the significance of therapists' awareness of their own rescue dynamics and its implications for training and supervision.