Somatic transference and countertransference: a critical review and an integration with the neuroscientific perspective

Abstract

The idea that the transference/countertransference process is characterized by a somatic component is rooted in classical psychoanalytic tradition. But, unlike others, this theoretical construct does not seem to have been developed in the literature as much as it deserves, given its importance in the clinical process. A research was conducted in the peer-reviewed literature indexed in the principal scientific databases to identify contributions on the somatic transference and countertransference constructs. The resulting studies were then combined with further considerations drawn from the postfreudian and contemporary psychoanalytic literature. Focusing on the evidence of the somatic transference/countertransference phenomenon in its development as well as in the psychopathology and its treatment is crucial for researchers and clinicians, and further researches should be encouraged toward this direction. The hypothesis of a neural correlate of the interpersonal transference/countertransference phenomena as being the outcome of mirror-type neural mechanisms has been provided, prompting a proposal for a line of future research on the psychophysiological signals between psychotherapist and patient.