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Transference and Counter Transference
One example of projection found in psychotherapy is when the patient mistakenly perceives the therapist as a troubling person from his past. This distorted perception and associated emotional reaction is called “transference.” The patient transfers or projects onto the therapist his own (the patient’s) feeling toward the troubling person. The patient then reacts toward the therapist (oen unconsciously) accordingly, that is as if the therapist is the troubling person.
In response to the patient’s transference, the therapist might have the impulse to react in an unexpected and sometimes negative way to a patient who, on the surface, might appear friendly and happy. The unexpected negative or positive reaction of the therapist is called “counter transference.” It occurs in response to the projection or transference of the patient’s feelings onto the therapist.
For example, if a patient reports that as a child he saw his mother seriously injured and die and was terrified, bewildered, and angry, he might reflect these feelings onto the therapist. When he describes the situation in detail, the therapist feels the child’s anguish. If the patient has underlying anger at the mother for leaving him, he may express this anger toward the therapist.
The therapist can defuse his own distracting emotional reactions by understanding certain spiritual teachings. For instance, by understanding the law of karma, that the incident might be related to events in a previous lifetime, as well as accepting the inexplicable will of God, the therapist may calm his own emotional reaction of anguish. The therapist can release counter transference feelings in reaction to the patient’s anger by remembering not to be aached to the patient’s projections. He might be able to breathe out his own anger or hurt reactions into the omnipresent Om. The therapist can then remain balanced and respond with love instead of pity, anger, resentment, or other misguided feelings.
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