Despite emerging frequently in the psychoanalytic process, there is a sparseness of literature on erotic transferences and countertransferences. There is also a tendency to desexualize the psychoanalytic process due to the inherent threat erotic transferences can pose. This gap in training and continuing education leaves practitioners ill-equipped to deal with the intense affects and pressures that tend to arise with erotic transferences. This presentation will address this gap in our knowledge base by presenting an overview of the topic, clarifying terminology, and providing vivid case examples.
Andrea Celenza, PhD is aTraining and Supervising Analyst, Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute; faculty, NYU Post-Doctoral Program in Psychoanalysis and The Florida Psychoanalytic Center; and, Assistant Clinical Professor, Harvard Medical School