With this presentation I have attempted to show that it is not only the content of the patient's verbal associations that is crucial for an understanding of the immediate transference situation. In order to gain a deeper understanding of what is going on in a particular session between the patient and analyst, and to recognize which anxieties and which defenses are at work, it is necessary to perceive what the patient is conveying nonverbally. The concept of projective identification can be helpful in understanding the situation when the analyst feels forced to play a particular role or to react in a particular manner, or when certain feelings are stirred up. A long process of working through these countertransference feelings and reactions within oneself is often necessary for the analyst to grasp the complete transference situation and to follow changes within the course of a session.