Cyberanalysis: Transference and Its Management in the Cyberspace
Abstract
Objective: As psychiatrists or psychotherapists, many of us may have had contact with people by e-mail and/or through online ‘chat rooms’. These people may write to us about their various problems, especially in their interpersonal relationships; discuss their queries about conflicts with their spouse, partner, and friends; or complained of low self-esteem and problems at work. In this article, we will try to discuss certain considerations and opinions about the possibility of insight-oriented psychotherapy in the domain of ‘virtual reality'.
Method: This study was based on clinical observation of the first Two cases of ‘Cyberanalysis’ were described. The management of transference and countertransference, the analysis of defenses in this context, and possible reasons for success and failure of each case were discussed.
Results: We have witnessed the formation of a transferential relationship between the ‘client’ and the therapists after a matter of months. One of the client had a satisfactory outcome and the other represented a therapeutic failure.
Conclusion: This type of psychotherapy may provide a novel opportunity for therapists to move toward the internal world of the patient Compared to ‘real world’ therapies. This modality of therapy also has its own advantages and shortcomings.
Reichertz PS, Halpern NJ. FDA regulation of telemedicine devices. Food Drug Law J 1997; 52: 517-23.
Beers ET. Telemedicine related activities [Monograph on the internet]. Rockville: Center for Devices and Radiological Health, Food and Drug Administration; 1996 [cited 2006 Mar 10]. Available from: http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/telemed.html.
Peterson MR, Beck RL. E-mail as an adjuvant tool in psychotherapy. Response and Responsibility, Am J Psychotherapy 2003; 57: 167-81.
Ben-Ze’ev A. Privacy, emotional closeness and openness in cyberspace. Computers in Human Behavior 2003; 19: 451-67.
Buckley P. Revolution and evolution: A brief intellectual history of American psychoanalysis during the past two decades, Am J of Psychotherapy 2003; 57: 1-17.
Oberst UE, Stewart AE. Adlerian psychotherapy: An advanced approach to individual psychology. London: Brunner-Routledge; 2003.
Kane B, Sands DZ. Guidelines for the clinical use of electronic mail with patients. J Am Med Inform Assoc 1998; 5:104-11.
Files | ||
Issue | Vol 1 No 2 (2006) | |
Section | Articles | |
Keywords | ||
Computer-assisted Psychotherapy Telemedicine Remote consultation |
Rights and permissions | |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |