ABSTRACT
In this challenging and thought-provoking paper, Dr. Gehrie has formulated his views about boundaries in psychoanalysis. His discussion rests on the premise that boundaries are intended to further the analytic work by enhancing our capacity to effectively engage patients in therapeutically viable and growth-promoting relationships. As such, boundaries function to facilitate the analytic process both by protecting the analyst from responses that interfere with his capacity to remain empathic and protecting the patient from being injured or exploited by the analyst as a result of the analyst’s own needs and vulnerabilities, which Gehrie believes to be always impacting (in subtle or not so subtle ways) on the treatment relationship.
