The Analysis of Preconscious Phenomena and Its Communication

Thoughts and feelings of both patients and analysis may be influenced by perceptions that remain outside of conscious awareness. A preconscious communication exists between patient and analyst. Appreciation of the preconscious elements of communication may enable a better understanding of what may be otherwise experienced as a mysterious occurrence. Transference-countertransference interactions create a place to observe the manifestation of preconscious phenomena. This paper addresses how the analytic method enables the discovery of consciously unrecognized stimuli or selective attention to certain phenomena which have created a sense of the uncanny or surprising. Both intersubjective reflection and more formal, systematic methods, which include logic and reasoning, serve to illuminate these events. The paper discusses and illustrates the role of preconscious communication in the analytic situation and its relation to the analytic process.