title: Reflections: can the analyst share a traumatizing experience with a traumatized patient?
abstract: This is a personal account of a dreadful event in the analyst's life that was similar to a patient's trauma. It is a reflection on how the analyst dealt with her own trauma, the patient's trauma, and the transference and countertransference dynamics. Included is a description of the analyst's inner struggles with self-disclosure, continuance of her professional work, and the need for persistent self-scrutiny. The meaning of objects in people's life, particularly the concept of home, will be addressed.
authors.affiliation: Center for Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis of New Jersey, NJ, USA. ruth.lijtmaer@verizon.net
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lijtmaer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002410:Catholicism; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D003379:Countertransference; D005260:Female; D006167:Guilt; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D009769:Object Attachment; D011575:Psychoanalytic Therapy; D012069:Religion and Psychology; D012650:Self Disclosure; D014167:Transference, Psychology