In search of the mind of the analyst: a progress report

Certain difficulties arise in the positions of both those who embrace the intersubjective approach in psychoanalysis and those who oppose it. Various factors that have led to misunderstandings on both sides of the question are identified, and several recent studies highlighting the importance of unconscious communication both in development and in clinical work are cited to buttress the argument that efforts to understand the mind of the analyst as it registers and resonates with this kind of communication open a still insufficiently explored pathway to the unconscious of the patient, one that may lead to major advances in analytic technique.