A DAY IN A LIFE: THE MIND OF THE ANALYST AND THE THERAPEUTIC PROCESS DURING THE WORKING DAY

Abstract

This paper presents closely and directly as possible the therapist’s everyday work with several patients, within the framework of a working day. The clinical material is accompanied by ongoing reflections, simultaneous and after the fact, on the development and specificity of the therapeutic process. The author advances the idea that the exploration of the working day, viewed as interactional mental field, is a legitimate and useful tool for the study of the therapeutic process, particularly those aspects related to the therapist’s professional and mental functioning, referred here as “the mind of the analyst”. The focal point is the possibility to see how untransformed psychic experiences produced between patient and psychotherapist during a particular session, create “mental residues” in the “mind of the analyst” and to study their fate all through the day. Although, the approach is predominantly therapist-centered, according to the concept of the field, it also presents important information on the workings of the minds of the patients, the vicissitudes of therapeutic interactions and ultimately, on the nature of psychic transformations. In the conclusive section, some broader applications for the clinical practice and research, related to the study of the working day are suggested.