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The continuum of listening discussed in this article includes the analyst's or therapist's states of consciousness; his or her focus of attention, ranging from free floating to sharply focused; and the kinds of interventions that he or she can formulate at each point on the continuum. At one end, the analyst is relatively unaware of many of his or her own thought processes, and interventions surprise the analyst because they are formulated unconsciously. They may appear as a slip of the tongue or as a vivid image. In the middle range of the continuum, the analyst functions in more usual states of awareness, and interventions address well-developed themes of all types, especially transference themes. At the most conscious, sharply focused end of the continuum, the analyst's interventions clarify affects and address defenses and minute forms of resistance.
Fonya Lord Helm, PhD, Center for Professional Psychology, George Washington University.
I thank the members of my study and research group: Harriet Basseches, PhD, Paula Ellman, PhD, Susan Elmendorf, CSW, Elizabeth Fritsch, PhD, Nancy Goodman, PhD, and Shelley Rockwell, PhD. This article could not have been written without them because the idea of a continuum of conscious awareness of the analyst or therapist was developed by our group during one of our research projects. This article is an elaboration of concepts set forth in our paper “In the Mind of the Psychoanalyst: Capturing the Moment Before Speaking,” which was presented at the 38th International Psychoanalytical Congress, Amsterdam, 1993. I also thank George Roark, MD, and Helen Gediman, PhD, for their most helpful suggestions for this article.
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Fonya Lord Helm, PhD, 8000 Riverside Drive, Cabin John, Maryland 20818. Electronic mail may be sent to helm@gwu.edu.
There is also a strong emphasis on focusing on the conscious thoughts and feelings of the analysand or patient.