What is a transference in psychiatry?

About this episode

Have you ever found yourself experiencing emotions like anger, frustration, or even affection towards your therapist? On the surface, it may seem like a surprising thing to happen. After all, you don't know much about their personal life, and there's no obvious reason for having such feelings. Fear not though; this happens more frequently than you might think; it’s actually pretty common. When you go to see a therapist, you're not a blank slate – you bring along your emotional baggage and it's not unusual to project those emotions onto the person across from you, who’s serving as a mediator. This is known as transference. Why does it happen? Can the reverse ever happen, with a therapist having feelings toward a patient? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! To listen to the last episodes, you can click here: Why does cooking benefit our mental health? What happens to your online life after you die? How can I limit the effects of sugar on my health? A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance. In partnership with upday UK. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices