Clinical Psychoanalytic Technique: The Importance of Mutual Discovery

"One of us remembers being told by a supervisor years ago that with long experience one would no longer be surprised by patients, that the incapacity for further surprise was the mark of a mature clinician. What a loss! So many possibilities for patient, analyst, and analytic couple are foreclosed by devaluing surprise and new experience."

"Making a routine procedure out of the analytic couch, for example, overlooks the developmental importance of mutual gaze and other forms of facial and affective communication in shaping relatedness. We must instead maintain an exploratory attitude toward every encounter, seeking the meanings—both personal and co-created—that emerge in psychoanalysis."

The Exploratory Attitude

My approach moves beyond routine therapy toward genuine, co-created exploration. By remaining open to surprise and attending to non-verbal, affective communication, we create opportunities for new understanding and relational growth that rigid methods might miss.

• Mutual Discovery: Both therapist and patient engage in a shared search for meaning unique to their relationship.
• Affective Communication: Facial expressions, tone, and gaze are treated as essential sources of emotional information.
• Meaning-Seeking: Every interaction is examined for its deeper psychological significance, ensuring that nothing in the therapeutic encounter is overlooked.

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