When the Analyst Writes a Memoir: Clinical Implications of Biographic Disclosure*

The author, a child survivor of the Nazi Holocaust, wrote a memoir that was published in January 2002. This paper examines the effects of biographic self-disclosure on the analytic dyad and the treatment process. The complex subject of self-disclosure has received much attention in recent years, but little has been written about what happens to the treatment when patients learn details about the private life of the analyst. Recently, several biographical accounts have appeared in the literature, and the internet has made certain biographical information readily available to patients, yet there is little, if any, data about the impact of these disclosures. In this paper, the author describes the personal and professional experiences that influenced her attitude toward self-disclosure and led to her decision to write a memoir. Several clinical vignettes illustrate the complex reactions of patients to the disclosure as it came up in the treatment. Various issues explored include the impact on the transference, potential problems such as intrusion of the analyst's subjectivity into the analytic space, and analyst vulnerability, as well as benefits such as an atmosphere of heightened emotional intensity and intimacy which ultimately enriches the analytic work.