An Examination of the Historical and Current Perceptions of Love in the Psychotherapeutic Dyad

Since the initial dialogues on the treatment relationship began, a hierarchical structure of our profession was set forth. This was largely created by Sigmund Freud, often considered the initiator of psychotherapy and psychoanalysis. Our profession was characterized by a neutral, distant practitioner who performed his work upon an unknowing patient. The reality of the multiple complexities of this relationship has become clearer over time. This paper seeks to examine the steps that have taken us from the initially distant and non-mutual psychotherapeutic relationship to the more egalitarian and co-created format that many clinicians are working in today. Love, in both its absence and presence, is examined as a central concept and tenet of psychotherapy.