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What a delight it is to read this sensitively written piece about the impact of the analyst's pregnancy. Ms. Hjalmarsson rightfully acknowledges that pregnancy introduces something about the analyst's life that will inevitably affect the patient's experience. Where she expands upon others is in examining the way that such an event can be both regressive and progressive. As with the literature on loss, there is a tendency to overemphasize the pathological and painful impact of such events and to ignore their potential for fostering development and pleasure. Unlike loss, pregnancy is typically thought of as a joyous event. Arguably, it arouses feelings of anger, competition, or envy but it also can encourage feelings of hope, anticipation, and pleasure. Ms. Hjalmarsson's patients exemplify that an analyst's pregnancy can have many meanings. For some patients it provides an opportunity for increased intimacy and shared joy. For some it creates a space to reveal thoughts and feelings previously withheld. For others it imposes a reality that is too difficult to bear and thereby prompts the patient to leave analysis prematurely.
The emphasis of Ms. Hjalmarsson's paper is on the way that real events in the analyst's life can have constructive influences. The descriptions of her patients' responses highlight the way in which the