AUTHOR=Aasan Olaug Julie , Brataas Hildfrid Vikkelsmo , Nordtug Bente 

TITLE=Experience of Managing Countertransference Through Self-Guided Imagery in Meditation Among Healthcare Professionals

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychiatry

VOLUME=13

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.793784

DOI=10.3389/fpsyt.2022.793784

ISSN=1664-0640

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Introduction</title><p>As a part of the therapeutic relationship, a significant, well-established predictor of outcomes in psychiatric healthcare, healthcare professionals' emotional reactions to patients may affect treatment outcomes.</p></sec><sec><title>Aim</title><p>The aim of our study was to explore and describe healthcare professionals' experiences with managing countertransference using skills from a training program on self-guided imagery in meditation (SIM).</p></sec><sec><title>Method</title><p>Following an exploratory descriptive design, we conducted qualitative interviews with 10 healthcare professionals who care for patients with mental illness and subjected the collected data to thematic content analysis.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>Participants reported that SIM had helped them to manage countertransference and had prompted changes that we categorized into three themes: managing personal vulnerability, setting clearer boundaries, and practicing self-care.</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusion</title><p>The results suggest that by cultivating wellbeing and dealing with unresolved inner conflicts, SIM can help healthcare professionals to manage countertransference.</p></sec>