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The phenomenon of countertransference was first described in 1910 by Freud (9) and relatively little was added to it until quite recently, when an abundance of articles has suddenly flourished. These articles concern themselves with the various aspects of the countertransference reaction. A Reich (22) and E. Sharpe (28) emphasized the usefulness of a positive countertransference in the conduct of treatment, while Tower (31) defined the notion of countertransference neurosis, and Weigert (32) used its resolution as one of the signs heralding the end of analysis. In such a context the idea of countertransference cures seems logical, yet I was unable to find any reference to such a concept in the analytic literature.
As the name implies, and in a contrast to transference cures which are due to mechanisms operating entirely in the patient's mind, these cures must occur as a result of unconscious wishes and strivings on the part of the therapist.
Naturally I first became aware of this fact in myself through my own analysis and in my control work with my supervisors. I also noted, like many have before, that some relatively inexperienced psychiatrists in training obtained at times surprisingly good results with a number of very difficult cases. This I generally attributed to their neophyte enthusiasm and regarded as a manifestation of an intuitive understanding of the emotional needs and conflicts of their patients. Such ability is usually considered an early promise of psychotherapeutic skills to be fulfilled by the acquisition of more experience. Fleming, in her article on supervision in psychiatric training (6), has outlined some important principles on how to help residents develop these intuitive qualities into what she calls "creative learning" by making them aware