A Reflection on Self‐disclosure1

Abstract

The technical aspect of managing the analyst's emotional responses to a patient has changed over the years, from Freud's position (1910, 1912, 1915), stating that emotions are a sign of an incomplete analysis from the analyst, to the recognition of this emotion as a communication between patient and analyst by Bion (1954). This recognition led to the acknowledgment of their importance as a diagnostic tool, while avoiding disclosure by Heiman (1950) and King (1978). More recently, consideration in the ways we can interpret these feelings during the analysis has been study (Winnicott, 1947; Little 1951; Casement 1986; Ogden 2018). This paper, advocates for the disclosure of such feelings (self‐disclosure) mainly when they are of a positive nature and the patient has a history of neglect. Also, there is a reflection on the advantages and disadvantages of doing so. Finally, there is consideration of the difference between a patient's need and a patient's desire before such disclosures.