Analysing forms of aliveness and deadness of the transference-countertransference

The sense of aliveness and deadness of the transference-countertransference represents a critical dimension of the analytic experience and may be the single most important measure of the moment-to-moment status of the analytic process. In this paper the author presents four clinical discussions that illustrate the importance of analysing the experience of aliveness and deadness in (of) transference-countertransference. In each vignette particular emphasis is placed on the use of transference interpretation derived from experience in the countertransference to address the defensive and expressive role of the dynamic movement of aliveness and deadness at a given juncture in an analysis. The role played by the experience of aliveness and deadness in the structure of the patient's internal object world and quality of object relatedness is examined.