ABSTRACT
The group therapist who employs a delicate form of free-floating attention will be able to tune into these unconscious communications in the group and reflect on the nuanced interactions. Transference relationships exist not only between the group members and the therapist but also between individual group members and subgroups. Group members with mothers who have failed them will tend to recreate this scenario in the transference with the therapist, who experiences the despairing dilemma of the mother. The therapist speaking in an unexpectedly aggressive tone to an apparently shy and silent group member might be put down to frustration on the therapist's part, or it might indicate the level of hidden passive aggression in the particular group member that needs to be explored. Subgroups can be supportive and creative, making strong connections and exploring difficult feelings together.
