Therapist momentary experiences of disconnection with clients

Abstract

ABSTRACTTherapist in-session experiences of momentary disconnection from clients have not been previously studied. Four person-centered therapists participated in semi-structured in-depth one-to-one interviews to investigate the nature of these experiences. Using grounded theory analyses and drawing on concepts from emotion-focused therapy and pre-therapy, we identified four types of therapist disconnection process in reaction to difficult client process: becoming overwhelmed by a painful client memory; overidentifying with an embodied client feeling; frustration over the pursuit of a disengaged client; and taking on too much responsibility for a client’s stuckness. They thus involved therapist overinvolvement, which led to emotional dysregulation followed by preoccupying secondary reactive emotions such as grief, panic or guilt at their disconnection. Coping with the trigger by disconnecting and becoming incongruent evoked a conflict between participants’ professional role and their personal needs. By becoming congruent again, therapists were able to reengage with their clients and could reattend to clients’ frames of reference. Participants identified therapist self-insight and self-care as key factors for preventing future disconnection.