Sacred Psychoanalysis - etheses Repository - University of ...

adversarial encounter? There was reference to laughter and I was not sure whether this was
genuine and congruent or defensive?’
‘JB (10) was surprised that AR (6,7,8,9) thought that there was an emergence of the sacred
and JB stated that was ‘interesting news to me’ which AR responded with by further
locating his views on the transatlantic psychoanalytic scene … JB then drops a bombshell
(74) with reference to her ‘big spiritual paper’ which AR has ‘missed’! The next half page
of material indicated AR’s genuine shock / embarrassment and JB’s offer of giving him a
copy. From this JB finally shares significant personal material (87 ff) including her
‘nervous laughter’ as ‘it felt very very personal’ and then quoted a colleague who stated that
she felt JB to be ‘a spiritual person’. AR shows immediate interest in this but JB (101/102)
warns AR from putting in print that she is a ‘spiritual person’ with a threat … using a
“playful tone”.’
‘AR’s next question initially does not fit with JB, but (259 ff) is a real turning point in that
from this point JB continues to engage and encounter AR and I think that the narrative of
(263 – 268) shows JB wanting to find a meeting place with AR, as she ends with quoting
her colleague but perhaps subconsciously saying to AR: ‘many of your ideas are compatible
with mine even though I wouldn’t use your language’ … From here onwards the interview
grew in depth and there was further sharing from both and JB admitted in the lift to not
knowing: ‘about what to say and how much to say not having met before’ (723 / 724)
though she had ‘enjoyed’ the interview (723) and decided that it was ‘meant to happen as
there was a quality of light about AR’s being’ (725). Clearly both AR in his final comments
and JB in hers indicated that the interview was regarded most positively.’
It is clear, even from these brief extracts, that the interview texts have the capacity to evoke
critical, analytic and counter-transferential feelings in the reader. While each participant
owned their own counter-transference, they also offer that their reflection of the experience
of the interview reflects the unconscious dynamics that were occurring. This suggests that
such a qualitative research methodology has considerable potential, where the people
concerned have the psychodynamic skill and insight to identify their own unconscious
processes. It also suggests that there is still qualitative potential in these interview texts for
ongoing insight and interpretation.
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