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This paper describes studies of an irregularly appearing characteristic of the analyst's free-floating attention. On occasion, curiously detailed background elements, referred to as "backdrops," are noted to be present in the analyst's visual imagery which periodically appears during analytic sessions. While the over-all content of the imagery parallels the situation being described by the patient, the backdrop aspects
are the analyst's contributions. On cursory examination, these images yield no clues as to their origin: self-analysis, however, reveals that they are related to previously unrecognized countertransferences. They are thus regarded as important starting points for the evaluation of interferences in the therapeutic process.