ABSTRACT
We are talking about the relationship between analytic neutrality and what I would call analytic naturalness. In classical theory, the analyst traditionally acts neutrally, like a mirror in which the patient can see himself reflected with his transferential demands, projections, conflicts. That being the case, anything we add, our metaphors, our acts of encouragement, our very person, becomes an extra variable that jeopardises the balance of the system, an expropriation of sorts of the patient’s space. Things have changed radically since the coming of various relational models. Now, what merit can we give to analytic neutrality, and how can we rethink analytic neutrality so that it remains a useful tool as opposed to something obsolete?
