Self Disclosure and the Analytic Relationship

This book explores the inevitable intrusions of the analyst’s personal life into clinical work and how to manage the challenges of self-disclosure, secrecy, and analytic identity within this context.

Are non-disclosure, abstinence, and neutrality realistic goals, or are they an artifact of an idealized analytic identification? Does self-disclosure of any sort by the analyst derail the analytic process and irrevocably damage the transference experience? Self-disclosure remains a compelling and central construct in the field of psychotherapy and psychoanalysis and there are few significant compendiums on this topic that explore the diversity of analytic voices. This book is an extraordinary collection of ideas from experienced psychoanalysts and psychotherapists who have wrestled with questions of self-disclosure from a theoretical, ethical, professional, and personal perspective. It describes the shifting landscape of the analytic field as it relates to self-disclosure, non-disclosure, the concept of neutrality and privacy, the limitations of the analytic frame, and the changing context of theoretical and global realities.

Self-Disclosure and the Analytic Relationship will be a useful resource within all psychoanalytic contexts, including academic, clinical training, and post-graduate study.

Stephanie R. Brody, PsyD, is a supervising and training analyst at Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute and the author of Entering Night Country: Psychoanalytic Reflections on Loss and Resilience (2016).