Sustained Empathic Focus, Vulnerability, and the Centrality of Subjective-Affective Experience: Further Thoughts on a Self Psychological Approach to the Clinical Use of Dreams

Abstract

Dreams, and the analyst's responsiveness to them, provide an excellent opportunity for the development of a playful and metaphorical communication between analyst and patient that can enhance the curative process. For the playspace, created by the analyst's empathic responsiveness, to facilitate a deepening of the curative process, it must include a sense of focus. This article presents and illustrates (with particular attention to the clinical use of dreams) the use of a self psychologically informed focus referred to as a “sustained empathic focus” on the patient's subjective-affective experience.