Flournoy would reserve the term "countertransference" for those sudden and temporary regressions of the analyst which are motivated by a sentiment of despair in understanding the transference of the patient through the analytic method. The analyst's task is to turn the regression around—toward a new understanding or reconstruction of the transference. Only when the regression becomes lasting and disengagement impossible should we speak of a countertransference neurosis. Hence the countertransference has an operational value for assessing the conduct of treatment. Eventually, by the increasing rarity of its occurrence, it becomes of value in determining the time of termination.