Exploring the Deep Dynamics of Therapy

Lisa, Joseph, and Deb explore and explain what the analytic process is like for them as they work with clients. Deb describes her interactions with clients using a rectangular diagram that, like the Scottish flag, traces lines going from the two upper corners to the two lower corners. This represents the multi-directional flow of energy in the session between the conscious and unconscious contents of both people. The analytic process is also likened to a chemical reaction in which both people are changed - referencing alchemical images that Jung used, it’s compared to two people sitting in a bath together. These are all ways of illustrating that the process of analytic therapy is as important to the analyst as it is to the client.

The Dream: I was sitting on the steps of a big old brick building in a small town. It seemed like a quaint old fashioned town. The day was warm and sunny. I was upset about something and my therapist was standing in front of me. I can't remember what I was telling her, but as she stood in front of me, she kept removing her shirt and throwing it on the ground. She never picked it up and put it back on, she just had so many shirts on. Over and over, removing one shirt and tossing it aside.