Toward and Away from the Light:

some thoughts on seeing in therapy

Authors

  • Adam Shechter

Keywords:

Seeing, Countertransference, Reverie, Dreams, Art

Abstract

Various forms of seeing are explored as primary maturational nourishment for the therapy dyad. Seeing is deprioritized as a possible telepathic phenomenon, and couched within the author’s Modern Psychoanalytic background, as well as Freud’s related anxieties. Spotnitz’s approach to countertransference is considered in progression with Bion’s construct of reverie. The therapist’s dream relation to the patient is traced back to its mother-baby origins. A case illustration is provided as well as the author’s experiences with his mother and art as they relate to psychoanalytic seeing. The risks and benefits of looking and turning away are evaluated. An extraordinary nature of reverie as seeing is grounded in the everyday work of therapy.

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Published

2024-06-17

How to Cite

Shechter, A. . (2024). Toward and Away from the Light: : some thoughts on seeing in therapy . Free Associations, (91). Retrieved from https://freeassociations.org.uk/FA_New/OJS/index.php/fa/article/view/482

Issue

No. 91 (2024)

Section

Articles

License

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