Forgiveness – It Depends: A Discussion of “An Analyst Has a Birthday - Can Forgiveness Heal?”

Diane Barclay’s article (this issue) is a clear example of rich and productive clinical work and how in some contexts, both patient and analyst can benefit personally from the inherently intersubjective nature of psychoanalytic practice. Both analyst and patient spent years struggling to forgive mothers who were very deficient and who bore considerable resemblance to one another. Ultimately forgiving their respective mothers proved very helpful to both analytic partners, though I argue in my discussion that we cannot conclude that forgiveness per se, ought to be a universal value or aim.