Scott Rutan, PhD, inspiring group therapist has written an article about Ferenczi (Freud’s contemporary Hungarian psychoanalyst), highlighting his contributions to the groundwork of group therapy.
“Ferenczi focused on many aspects of the therapeutic encounter that are highlighted in the practice of group psychotherapy, notably the emotional involvement of the therapist in therapy, the question of therapist activity (including “playfulness”), a sense of mutuality between therapist and patients, a primary emphasis on relationship as the essential healing factor, and using one’s own affect as important diagnostic information (Silver, 1996)”
Ferenczi experimented with various novel techniques, including mutual analysis, where his patient – years into her treatment – would analyze him. This technique did not take hold and was not developed further but in group therapy all the group members are there to analyze each other. The group therapist is also a more transparent figure than a regular individual therapist, but that is not as strikingly different from individual therapy as the fact that there are several other people who not only used to add insight, but more importantly, act like sounding boards for one’s projections. This aspect of the mutual analysis is hence maintained in group work: the members act for each other as physically present beings who have a double role. On one hand they evoke projections and transferences while they are also there to provide feedback and response to the person. This creates fertile soil for therapeutic, corrective experiences.
