The Analyst’s Counter-Resistance

Abstract Working analytically with patients entails discernment of psychic contents that emerge in the analytic field. Conceptualizations of the analyst’s counter-transference have evolved over the past several decades, ever since Jung first identified counter-transference as a valuable tool in our understanding of the analyst-patient relationship. Counter-resistance is a distinguishable and notable subset of counter-transference and refers specifically to those elements in the analyst’s experience of the patient that manifest in attitudes and behaviors that hinder therapeutic gains. The author discusses the prevalence of counter-resistance in all analytic relationships and cites relevant non-Jungian and Jungian psychoanalytic literature. Two clinical vignettes are presented that highlight the identification and resolution of counter-resistance. Recommendations are made for how to identify counter-resistances in our clinical practices.