ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews past and contemporary psychoanalytic concepts as they pertain to the psychoanalyst's tears. A review of original concepts contextualizes the stigma associated with the therapist's tears. Contemporary concepts help people consider the ways in which the therapist's tears can catalyze or derail therapeutic action. In his paper on the technique of psychoanalysis, A. Freud outlined specific principles by which the analyst should guide his or her attitude and behavior. He considered the concept of abstinence as central to the efficacy of treatment. While the psychoanalytic literature has expanded on the concept of countertransference in the way described above, very little is actually written directly about the analyst's tears. In fact, little more is written about the client's tears. By their nature, enactments are spontaneous, unplanned, and can be explored only from the vantage point of "the rear view mirror".
