Clinical experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Psychiatry
• Psychoanalysis

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated rapid shifts to remote psychotherapy.
• Online sessions at Rome's Italian Centre of Analytical Psychology (CIPA) began in April 2020.
• Participants included analysts and trainees with diverse specializations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the psychological effects of the Italian lockdown on therapists and patients.
• To investigate occurrences of unreality, depersonalization, or derealization.
• To explore whether therapists experienced a greater loss of human contact than patients.

Main Methods:

• Monthly Zoom meetings were conducted for a CIPA discussion group.
• Discussions focused on contemporary experiences and patient relationships.
• Clinical and personal experiences served as primary data sources.

Main Results:

• The study reflects on the potential for altered reality perceptions (unreality, depersonalization, derealization) in both therapists and patients.
• It considers the differential impact of lost in-person contact on therapists versus clients.
• Qualitative insights from ongoing clinical practice during lockdown are central.

Conclusions:

• The lockdown presented unique challenges to the therapeutic alliance and subjective experience.
• Further research is needed to fully understand the long-term psychological consequences of remote therapy.
• The importance of human contact in psychoanalysis was underscored during this period.