[Evenly floating attention, models and theories of the cognitive process of the psychoanalyst]

The perception process taking place in the mind of the analyst in the psycho-analytic situation is a constant oscillation between the temptation to be guided too much by theory and the dangers of trusting to feelings and intuition alone. In order to avoid the pitfalls of this Scylla and Charybdis situation and with a view to reconciling empathy and knowledge in such a way as to provide optimal access to the patient's unconscious, the author draws upon a model devised by W.R. Bion. The author claims that Bion's model, an intermedium between affect and cognition, achieves the integration of evenly suspended attention and theory-guided perception by taking account of patient's experiential objects while at the same time allowing scope for cognitive activity, a process which Bion calls "intervening phase" König then briefly recounts a case study illustrating the possibility of achieving interpretations that combine both empathy and knowledge.