Table of Contents
Therapists anticipate transference, right?
Conclusion. Transference is what happens when you project your feelings toward or about another person—typically a parent—onto your therapist. Good therapists are able to identify it and deal with it because it’s a typical and natural part of the therapeutic process. As a result, clients frequently have feelings for their therapists that are similar to those that kids have for their parents. At times, it resembles falling in love. Transference can significantly improve the therapeutic experience and is entirely natural and normal.The general concept is that your therapist unconsciously receives emotional feelings that you may have experienced as a child or that you wished you could have experienced from your parents or other primary caregivers. Because of this, clients frequently have feelings for their therapists that are similar to how kids feel about their parents.When a client expresses emotions toward the therapist, that is a clear indication of transference. For instance, if a client sobs and accuses the therapist of hurting their feelings for asking a probing question, it may be an indication that the client was hurt by a parent in the past over a question or topic of a similar nature.In a recent study, therapists were asked how they felt about their patients’ friendships. The response rate was 72%. Seventy percent of therapists have occasionally felt attracted to a client sexually, and twenty-five percent have entertained romantic fantasies.
Are therapists supportive of transference?
This does, however, actually occur frequently. Transference of some kind is expected by therapists interested in relational issues and deep work, and the majority are at ease discussing it. Talk about it; the fictional reader is doing so, and his therapist is encouraging him to do so. Even if you don’t talk to each other outside of sessions, your therapist still has a relationship with you. As the week progresses, she continues to consider your conversations as well as significant moments. She might even change her mind about an intervention or opinion she expressed during a session.You might be surprised to learn that what you are going through with your therapist isn’t unusual. In reality, what you are probably going through is something called erotic transference, which is when a patient has romantic or sensual thoughts about their therapist.Client-Related Attitudes and Behaviors of Therapists The majority of therapists (71 percent) reported that they occasionally or consistently found a client to be sexually attractive. About 23% of participants had fantasized about dating someone special, and 27% had imagined engaging in sexual activity with a patient.It can be awkward to share something you feel is too delicate or intimate. Thought you had shared too much in therapy? You’re not the only one, you should know. When this occurs, it may be beneficial to discuss with your therapist the reasons you believe you have overshared.
Why is transference a problem for therapists?
Therapists have a few options if a patient is exhibiting transference. Before deciding whether the transference is positive or negative, they should evaluate it. If it is negative, therapists should work on educating their clients about transference and shining a light on its impact during their visits. When a patient unwittingly projects their feelings about another person onto their therapist, transference occurs. These emotions can be positive, negative, or sexualized.Transference can also happen in a healthcare setting. For example, transference in therapy happens when a patient attaches anger, hostility, love, adoration, or a host of other possible feelings onto their therapist or doctor.Transference describes a situation where the feelings, desires, and expectations of one person are redirected and applied to another person. Most commonly, transference refers to a therapeutic setting, where a person in therapy may apply certain feelings or emotions toward the therapist.
How do I know if I have transference from therapist?
An obvious sign of transference is when a client directs emotions at the therapist. For example, if a client cries and accuses the therapist of hurting their feelings for asking a probing question, it may be a sign that a parent hurt the client regarding a similar question/topic in the past. Transference involves the client projecting feelings onto the therapist. For example, your therapist may remind you of your mother. If this is the case, then you may experience your therapist as you would your mother. Those feelings can clue the therapist into what work needs to happen in therapy.Developing romantic feelings for your therapist is common, and it’s called transference.A common example of transference is feeling worried that a current partner is going to cheat on you because an ex-partner did so. In this case, you are redirecting your feelings about that ex-partner onto your new one.An obvious sign of transference is when a client directs emotions at the therapist. For example, if a client cries and accuses the therapist of hurting their feelings for asking a probing question, it may be a sign that a parent hurt the client regarding a similar question/topic in the past.Findings revealed that therapists have strong emotional and behavioral responses to a patient’s dissociation in session, which include anxiety, feelings of aloneness, retreat into one’s own subjectivity and alternating patterns of hyperarousal and mutual dissociation.
What do therapists think of transference?
Transference can help the therapist understand why that fear of intimacy exists. They can then work toward resolving it. This may help the patient develop healthy, long-lasting relationships. A transference of this kind clearly affects a person’s judgment and interferes with their autonomy, leaving them vulnerable to sexual, emotional and financial exploitation. It also masks the problems that brought the person into therapy, and so masquerades as a cure.
In which therapy transference is discouraged?
In the therapy, transference is actively discouraged. The goal is to facilitate the client to find meaning of his/her being. Gestalt Therapy: It is humanistic therapy developed by Fritz Pearl and his wife Laima Pearl. But while they’ve certainly been trained to solve problems and help people, they’re also human. Therapists do get frustrated with clients from time to time, but some can handle difficult clients better than others. This may be due to training or inherent personality traits.Therapists have found that while the profession is “good enough,” they are growing past the time when it was energizing, or exciting. They also have reevaluated their priorities, and recognized that their relationship to their work and/or profession has shifted, in order to make room for new dreams.Further, therapists do not judge or reprimand their clients. They endeavour to understand the context of their clients’ actions by asking probing questions and listening attentively. By doing so, some clients may feel they are cared for or understood.All well trained therapists are aware of transference and countertransference and should be comfortable bringing the dynamics up, when they sense that there is some form of transference happening.
How long does it take for therapy transference?
Transference-focused psychotherapy most often takes place twice weekly. Treatment lasts between one and three years. Therapy can last anywhere from one session to several months or even years. It all depends on what you want and need. Some people come to therapy with a very specific problem they need to solve and might find that one or two sessions is sufficient.According to Laura Osinoff, executive director of the National Institute for the Psychotherapies in Manhattan, “On average, you can expect to spend one to three years [in therapy] if you are having, for example, relationship problems.The number of recommended sessions varies by condition and treatment type, however, the majority of psychotherapy clients report feeling better after 3 months; those with depression and anxiety experience significant improvement after short and longer time frames, 1-2 months and 3-4.Ruth Wyatt, MA, LCSW: With therapy, there usually is no set length of treatment. Therapy can last anywhere from one session to several months or even years. It all depends on what you want and need.The client can relax and be real during the session allowing themselves to experience growth. As a clinician, you can utilize the transference as a tool to help the client gain insight into their strength to handle situations outside of the session.