Virtual reality and the unconscious
D. Anastasopoulos, A. Zacharia (edit.)
The electronic media and cyberspace have become part of the conscious and unconscious control of reality, while in essence we are moving away from it. The operation of the internet (Skype) in the analytical session sets a complex parameter. Contrary to the controlled parameters of a psychoanalytic session, problems of unknown aetiology and treatment can arise here, even in the most familiar and equipped user. A first investigation is made of the formation of this new analytical environment, with references to its effect on fundamental factors of the analytical session, such as transfer-counter-transfer, resistances, context, nonverbal communication, absence of physical presence, ethics. Excerpts from clinical literature provide examples of therapeutic interaction in online psychotherapeutic communication. The goal is not to curse or idealize, but to highlight what the use of modern technology can and cannot offer to psychoanalysis and under which conditions.
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