The “Unobjectionable” Positive Countertransference

Abstract

Even though Freud said that “the secret of therapy is to cure through love,” the “unobjectionable” positive countertransference has remained a neglected topic in clinical and theoretical writings. This paper explores a number of personal and historical reasons to account for this avoidance. A case vignette is presented to highlight the facilitating and therapeutic role of the positive countertransference. It also demonstrates the analyst's struggles with his loving feelings and some of the reasons behind this conflict. The case is then used to explore the functions that the positive countertransference serves for the analysand, the analyst, and the analytic process. In conclusion, a number of questions are posed for an emerging model of psychoanalytic technique that would encompass the analyst's noninterpretive contributions to the process.