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Turning points and intersubjectivity

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Abstract

A crucial ingredient of turning points in psychotherapy is the intersubjective transaction. Turning points are defined as shifts in the patient's behavior, attitudes, or feelings while intersubjectivity refers to that process of reciprocal influence in which each person in the therapeutic dyad influences and is influenced by the other. Four major aspects of the relationship of turning points to the intersubjective transaction are discussed: the empathic alliance, the linkage of interpretation and attachment, the role of the therapist's past experiences and the fear of existential loneliness. Two case illustrations demonstrate the way in which the awareness of the therapists and patient's subjectivities enhances the therapeutic progress.

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Natterson, I. Turning points and intersubjectivity. Clin Soc Work J 21, 45–56 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00754911

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