On Postanalytic Amnesia

The impetus for this paper arose out of a series of discussions with two colleagues on the issue of what our patients found meaningful about their analytic treatment. What we discovered was how little they seemed to remember about the content of their treatments; this, in turn, prompted us to speculate about what actually happens in an analysis and what it is that is curative. My two colleagues and I recorded unsolicited accounts from our patients during treatment hours of material that they identified directly or indirectly as meaningful during that hour or preceding hours. Later we added both solicited and unsolicited replies to questions about what was meaningful, important, or helpful in their treatments. In addition, I wrote several analytic colleagues asking for similar information about their own and their patients' analyses. While admittedly this was not a rigorous study (e.g., the sample is small and no standardization of questions was attempted), some interesting “data” did emerge, which prompted me to wonder about and explore the area of postanalytic amnesia.

A vignette from a woman in analysis with me in the midst of an intense transference neurosis will serve as a not atypical response. Unsolicited, she revealed the following:

Yesterday I think at the end when the issue of trusting you and my perception of you — are they right and so much depends on that. I don't remember what you said but whatever it was it seemed you really appreciated that and understood. The way you sounded it was like you had an appreciation of the way it was — just the opposite of I can talk straight for forty-five minutes sometimes and you'll sift it through and come out with one major thing; it gets reduced to one major thing. But yesterday wasn't that at all. I was talking about a whole lot of different

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feelings that are hard to feel at the same time — a feeling you were right there with me — it's the sort of moment that, after I carry it with me, it stays.

And in another hour:

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