In Gestalt therapy, transference isn't seen as a mere distortion of the past but as a present, intersubjective experience co-created in the therapeutic relationship, an "in-between" moment where unresolved past patterns (like projection, introjection) emerge within the current "here-and-now" context, inviting exploration of the therapist's own role and fostering contact rather than interpretation. It's viewed as a contact boundary disturbance, revealing how clients relate to their environment, but the goal is to dissolve it through real, present engagement, not to analyze it analytically.
In Gestalt therapy, transference is viewed as a contact boundary disturbance which impairs the patient's ability to accurately perceive the present therapy situation. The boundary disturbances in Gestalt therapy most closely related to the analytic notion of transference are projection, introjection, and confluence.
Gestalt Perspective
Gestalt psychologists believed that transfer happens when the individual is able to recognize similarities among facts, and general concepts or principles which can be applied in another context. This theory is known as the Configuration or Transposition Theory (Johri, 2005).
Because the concept of transference was first used in psychodynamic therapy, some people feel it has no place in the person-centred approach. However, Carl Rogers himself refers to transference in his writing, stating that transferential attitudes are evident in the context of person-centred counselling.
Results Exploratory factor analysis identified five transference dimensions: angry/entitled, anxious/preoccupied, avoidant/counterdependent, secure/ engaged and sexualised.
One of the most helpful ways to recognize transference is when your client has a reaction in therapy that appears inappropriate for the situation. For instance, say you are discussing your client's behavior in romantic relationships, and they start giving you flirtatious signals.
Signs of Transference in Therapy
Strong emotional reactions: An individual blows up at another for seemingly no reason, implying that they have buried feelings toward another person. Misplaced feelings: One person tells the other what they want to tell someone from their past, such as “Stop trying to control me!”
Freud's theory of transference is a key concept in the field of psychoanalysis, describing the projection of past emotions, either positive or negative, onto someone else today (Freud, 1920). During psychoanalysis, a patient's transference to the therapist takes on a similar form to their maternal relationship.
When a therapist recognizes that transference is occurring, it can be an opportunity to identify an underlying problem to address and resolve. Raising the issue could provide something of an “aha moment” to patients who may not have been able to spot the problematic pattern before.
If not managed well, transference can cause emotional harm to the patient and lead to ethical issues. It can seriously disrupt the therapeutic relationship and might be considered malpractice.
Gestalt theory emphasizes that the whole of anything is greater than its parts. That is, the attributes of the whole are not deducible from analysis of the parts in isolation. The word Gestalt is used in modern German to mean the way a thing has been “placed,” or “put together.” There is no exact equivalent in English.
The Four Pillars
Gestalt therapists/counsellors rely heavily on and are guided by four theoretical pillars that make up Gestalt methodology. They are phenomenology, dialogical relationship, field theory and experimentation.
An example of gestalt psychology in everyday life is in the way people complete jigsaw puzzles. Rather than looking at each piece as an individual unit, they form meaningful relationships between the pieces to see the big picture more quickly and efficiently.
What are the three types of transference in therapy?
Therapists must reflect on their strong emotions during client sessions to ensure these feelings don't interfere with therapy. They engage in regular self-reflection to understand their reactions, and consider whether they stem from personal issues.
Signs and Symptoms of Transference
Some indicators that you may be experiencing transference include: During a therapy session, you find your self having sexual feelings or fantasies about your therapist. You have an emotional response to something your therapist says but you aren't sure why.
Results: Exploratory factor analysis identified five transference dimensions: angry/entitled, anxious/preoccupied, avoidant/counterdependent, secure/engaged and sexualised. These were associated in predictable ways with Axis II pathology; four mapped on to adult attachment styles.
In psychotherapy with a male therapist, a patient might display behavior that is reminiscent of early childhood relationships. A female may become overtly flirtatious with her male therapist and inform her therapist that it would be more comfortable to have therapy at a local restaurant.
Transference occurs when a patient's previous experience with other people and with a therapist overlap. The patient's transference reactions allow the therapist to recognize their likely behaviour toward important people in their life.
Common signs of negative transference include excessive anger or irritability towards the therapist, resentment or hostility, romantic or sexual feelings, withdrawal or avoidance, and projection of past conflicts onto the therapeutic relationship.
SIX Greatest Quote by Sigmund Freud on Human Psychology
Jung implies this when he describes the transference phenomenon as, without doubt, one of the most important syndromes in the process of individuation.
Recognizing Transference
Therapists must be attuned to the dynamics of the therapeutic relationship and aware of their own emotional responses. Signs of transference can include: Strong emotional reactions. Repetitive relational patterns.
What I Couldn't Tell My Therapist shares the unforgettable stories of three patients in intensive therapy. Michelle, a dedicated psychotherapist, struggles with an addiction to people-pleasing and perfectionism while being tethered to opioids by mysterious chronic pain.
By traumatic transference I mean a kind of transference in which the patient "unconsciously expects that the therapist, despite overt helpful ness and concern, will covertly exploit the patient for his or her own narcissistic gratification" (Spiegel, 1986, p. 72).