During interpretation, patient and therapist work to understand the nature of the patient's disturbed object relationships by the "unconscious meanings of their behavior in their transferential relationship with the therapist" (McGinn, 1998, p. 192) the first phase of interpretation is a time for exploration and free association; at this point, the patient is expressing and the therapist is formulating the meanings of those expressions in terms of object relations. This is followed by an "empathic confrontation," in which the therapist gently guides the patient's maladaptive unconscious object relations into consciousness. Once the patient is conscious of his behaviors, the final phase of interpretation can take place, which is sometimes called a "genetic interpretation" (McGinn, 1998, p. 192). This is when the therapist "uses his interpretations of the current relationship between himself and the patient and links it to unconscious meanings from the patient's past" (McGinn, 1998, p. 192). The purpose of interpretation is to provide the background information and understanding necessary for successful transference work.
The present relationship between therapist and patient is the basis for a second technique common to or therapy -- transference analysis -- corresponding roughly to the middle stage of therapy. It is assumed that all patients will begin to "transfer" pathological relationship patterns (object relations) from their past onto the therapist, allowing the therapist to analyze what is going wrong outside of therapy based on what occurs in-session (McGinn, 1998). This is somewhat overlapping with interpretation, but at this point the therapist needs to gradually take on a stable role as a "good-object" for the patient. Then, using his prior interpretation, the therapist can tie the patient's symptoms and treatment goals to one or more overriding themes of abnormal relating (McGinn, 1998). The trustworthy, good-object stance of the therapist will then allow patient and therapist to bring these abnormal behavior patterns into consciousness, where they can hopefully be redefined and reworked into healthier object relations during the final phases of therapy.
The role of the therapist
The role of the or therapist is different from traditional psychoanalysts in that he is expected to show a degree of empathy for the patient's traumatic past and dysfunctional patterns of relating. The patient is likely very frightened, on a primitive level, of bringing his "split-off" object relations into consciousness where they can be confronted and transformed; the therapist needs to be gentle and understanding in order to facilitate successful transference and conscious integration of the self. In addition, the or therapist must work to keep his own countertransference emotions (the reactions and emotions he experiences as a result of being the target of the patient's transference), conscious and in check (McGinn, 1998). If the therapist doesn't successfully maintain his stance as an objective, neutral transference object, he may become...
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