ABSTRACT
Freud profoundly misunderstood love in psychotherapy. The steps he took to protect himself from love undermined his ability to be therapeutic and retarded the development of psychotherapy.
While Freud believed in Bertha’s talking cure, he privately circulated the view that Breuer ended treatment in response to Bertha’s erotic transference. Freud insinuated Breuer was frightened by Bertha’s sexuality. Certainly, Breuer was devoted to Bertha and it appears her treatment was rooted in mutual feelings of love.
Love played an important role in animal magnetism. Love and telepathy were natural byproducts of hypnotic rapport. Freud associated hypnosis with love and for that reason eliminated it from his practice. Freud proposed neurosis was rooted in sexuality. Sexuality was the cause of illness, not part of the cure.
Next, Freud developed the idea of transference as a “false connection” between himself and his patient, insulating him from intimate relationships. By interpreting the transference Freud further distanced himself from his patient and damaged the rapport developing between them. This assessment is supported by research showing transference interpretations are associated with poor treatment outcomes.
Freud developed a clinical technique that insulated him from rapport and its two byproducts, telepathy and love. Their power frightened him.
