ABSTRACT
When the authors invited their contributing authors to write about their experiences and the subtle ways in which they can get "hooked" when providing palliative and end-of-life care, they discovered an abundance of preconceived notions and biases about the "C" word. The authors were concerned that countertransference implied a distant, impersonal, even sterile work style. It is true that the concept of countertransference was initially described by Freud as an unconscious process involving the arousal of the analyst's unresolved conflicts and problems. In Freud's classical definition, countertransference was regarded as an obstacle to treatment, a blind spot that the analyst had to overcome to work effectively. The author's real, often intense reactions to work in palliative and end-of-life care tell us that there is a personal-professional interface between our own life developmental tasks and their professional interactions. The author examines what they bring to the therapeutic relationship and, conversely, the ways in which it impacts them.
