A reconsideration of the clinical work of Harold Searles

A rereading of the work of Harold Searles in light of the more contemporary paradigm of dissociation refreshes our insights into transference and countertransference phenomena with patients who rely heavily on dissociation. Searles's perspective on the dependence of the analyst (therapist) on his or her patients, the reality of patients' projections, and patients' need to cure their analyst can be helpful in resolving conundrums and impasses in the treatment of dissociative disordered patients. The reciprocity of dissociative phenomena between patients and therapists, wherein therapists must own the reality of their own dissociative processes in the therapeutic transaction, recontextualizes Searles's clinical contributions.