The Analyst's Authenticity: “If You See Something, Say Something”

Abstract

The history of authenticity in psychoanalysis is as old as analysis itself, but the analyst's authenticity in particular has become an increasingly important area of focus in recent decades. This article traces the development of conceptions of analytic authenticity and proposes that the analyst's spontaneous verbalization of his or her unformulated experience in session can be a potent force in the course of an analysis. We acknowledge that although analytic authenticity can be a challenging ideal for the analyst to strive for, it contains the power to transform the experience of the patient and the analyst, as well as the meaning of their work together. Whether it comes in the form of an insight-oriented comment or a simple acknowledgment of things as they seem to be, a therapist's willingness to speak aloud something that has lost its language is a powerful clinical phenomenon that transcends theoretical orientation and modality.

Patients’ experiences of being “ghosted” by their psychotherapists.

“…The consensus among these studies is that the intentional decision to ghost another person is frequently made for reasons of self-protection (emotional or physical), disinterest in the other party, time constraints (being too busy), a negative interaction with the “ghostee,” and/or feelings about the overall state of the relationship. The alternative to ghosting often requires the courage to convey one’s feelings and trust the consequences of difficult but honest disclosures to clients (Geller & Lyman, 2014; Goldstein & Suzuki, 2015). Particularly when stressed, therapists may resort impulsively to dishonesty in the hopes of eliding difficult conversations—and conversations about termination are, for many, very difficult.…”

“It’s both a strength and a drawback.” How therapists’ personal qualities are experienced in their professional work

“…Historically, the notion of therapists' personal charactertistics exerting an influence on professional performance has been prominent within the helping professions and the field of psychotherapy, and it has most explicitly been formulated in the "wounded healer" tradition (Bugental, 1964;Conti-O'Hare, 1998;Elliott & Guy, 1993;Miller, 1997;Zerubavel & Wright, 2012). The importance of the therapist's emotional availability and presence, as opposed to a strict, professional stance was also addressed by the psychoanalytical community early on (Goldstein & Suzuki, 2015). Carl Rogers wrote about the person of the therapist as "a highly important part of the human equation holding a coherent and developing set of attitudes deeply embedded in his personal organization" (Rogers, 1951, p.19).…”