PSYCHOANALYTIC REFLECTIONS ON THE EXPERIENCES OF PSYCHOTHERAPISTS WORKING WITH MILITARY PERSONNEL DURING ACTIVE WAR
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32782/upj/2025-3-3-3Keywords:
psychoanalysis, military personnel, countertransference, somatic transference.Abstract
Abstract. Since the development of countertransference theories, the analyst’s experiences during therapy have gained new, crucial significance for both the analysis itself and its effectiveness. During wartime, although we primarily aim to care for our patients–especially those to whom we owe our own safety and lives, namely military personnel – we must also take care of ourselves. This is possi- ble only when we pay attention to our own experiences while conducting therapy with soldiers. Our feelings and reactions, even at the stage of initial contact, are highly informative and can indicate the dynamics of the future case. Our bodies, even if mostly “contained” within the laptop screen, convey signals about the therapeutic process from the very first minutes. These manifestations should not be ignored; on the contrary, it is important to emphasize their significance. The same applies to moments of therapy termination, which may occur abruptly, without warning or follow-up sessions. Equally important is sharing our experiences with colleagues, many of whom, with the onset of war, have also begun working with military personnel. This contributes to the normalization, awareness, and acknowledgment of our shared professional experience.
References
Bernstein, P. L. (1984). The somatic countertransference: The inner pas de deux. In P. L. Bernstein (Ed.).
Bion, W. R. (1962). Learning from experience. London: Heinemann.
Bowlby, J. (1969). Attachment and loss: Vol. 1. Attachment. New York, NY: Basic Books.
Boyer, L. B. (1994). Countertransference: Condensed history and personal view of issues with regressed patients. Journal of Psychotherapy Practice and Research, 3(2), 122–137. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0085992
Boyer, L. B. (1997). The verbal squiggle game in treating the seriously disturbed patient. Psychoanalytic Quarterly, 66, 62–81.
Briere, J. (2002). Treating adult survivors of severe childhood abuse and neglect: Further development of an integrative model. In J. E. B. Myers, L. Berliner, J. Briere, C. T. Hendrix, C. Jenny, & T. A. Reid (Eds.), The APSAC handbook on child maltreatment (2nd ed., pp. 175–203). Sage Publications, Inc.
Bronstein, C. (2016). Formlessness and countertransference: Discussion of J. Press, 'Metapsychological and clinical issues in psychosomatics research'. International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 97(1), 115–122. https://doi.org/10.1111/1745-8315.12498
Charles, M. (2004). Learning from experience: A guidebook for clinicians. Hillsdale, NJ: The Analytic Press.
Field, N. (1989). Listening with the body: An exploration in the countertransference. British Journal of Psychotherapy, 5(4), 512–522.
Freud, S. (1910/1957). The future prospects of psycho-analytic therapy. In J. Strachey (Ed. & Trans.), The standard edition of the complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud (Vol. 11, pp. 139–152). London: Hogarth Press.
Freud, S. (1912). Recommendations to physicians practising psycho-analysis. In J. Strachey (Ed. & Trans.), The standard edition of the complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud (Vol. 12, pp. 109–120). Hogarth Press.
Freud, S. (1912/1958). The dynamics of transference. In J. Strachey (Ed. & Trans.), The standard edition of the complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud (Vol. 12, pp. 97–108). London: Hogarth Press.
Freud, S. (1920/1955). Beyond the pleasure principle. In J. Strachey (Ed. & Trans.), The standard edition of the complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud (Vol. 18, pp. 1–64). London: Hogarth Press. (Original work published 1920)
Freud, S. (1926/1959). Inhibitions, symptoms and anxiety. In J. Strachey (Ed. & Trans.), The standard edition of the complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud (Vol. 20, pp. 75–174). London: Hogarth Press.
Hillman, J. (1964). Suicide and the soul. New York, NY: Harper & Row.
Kernberg, O. F. (2016). The four basic components of psychoanalytic technique. World Psychiatry, 15(3), 226–231. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20368
Knafo, D. (2018). Beginnings and endings: Time and termination in psychoanalysis. Psychoanalytic Psychology, 35(1), 8–14. https://doi.org/10.1037/pap0000125
Klein, M. (1923). The development of a child. International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 4, 419–474.
Klein, M. (1932). The psycho-analysis of children. London: Hogarth Press.
Kohut, H. (1971). The analysis of the self: A systematic approach to the psychoanalytic treatment of narcissistic personality disorders. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
Lemma, A. (2014). Minding the body: The body in psychoanalysis and beyond. Routledge.
МакВільямс, Н. (2023). Моїм українським колегам із нагоди болісної річниці: деякі щирі ідеї з підтримки практики під вогнем. Український психоаналітичний журнал, 1(1), 7–13. https://doi.org/10.32782/upj/2023-1-2
Samuels, A. (1989). The plural psyche: Personality, morality and the father. London: Routledge.
Silverman, S. (1991). Somatic correspondences during psychoanalysis. Journal of the American Academy of Psychoanalysis, 19(3), 422–445.
Schore, A. N. (2015). Affect Regulation and the Origin of the Self: The Neurobiology of Emotional Development (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315680019
Winnicott, D. W. (1965). The maturational processes and the facilitating environment: Studies in the theory of emotional development. London: Hogarth Press.
Winnicott, D. W. (1971). Playing and reality. London: Tavistock Publications.
