ABSTRACT
Moments of spontaneity and other unusual clinical events which might, however briefly, reveal the nature of the therapist’s personal thoughts and feelings, can often be viewed as breaches of technique and the boundaries of therapy. The therapist may feel that more of his or her private self than is advisable has come through the consulting room door and intruded on the session, and of course there are times when this may well be the case. However, there are other times when this kind of experience proves to be surprisingly productive of positive change, suggesting that these unusual and disconcerting experiences need to be understood in a different and more positive therapeutic and theoretical light (Symington 1986; Carlberg 1997; Stern et al. 1998).
