Waking the Dead Therapist

The treatment of persons with dissociative adaptations is often filled with the stirring and emergence of intense affective states. Often bereft of words, these affective states remain to be articulated by either patient or analyst, as best they can tolerate. I present a case to illustrate the ongoing struggle in a countertransference analysis of unbidden and initially uncontrollable sleepiness in the analyst as a pathway toward greater understanding of intense affects in both patient and analyst. The benefits and risks of disclosing the analyst's subjective experience is explored.