Dr. L. Bryce Boyer; Pioneer in Psychoanalysis, ‘Countertransference’

Dr. L. Bryce Boyer, 84, a psychoanalyst who advanced the idea that analysts may experience emotional reactions to patients that reflect their own inner conflicts and needs. The idea, called countertransference, was regarded by many in the psychoanalytic community as an obstacle to the patient-client relationship, but Boyer suggested that analysts’ feelings could actually be useful in understanding patients and helping treatment to progress. Boyer also argued in favor of using psychoanalysis not only for the “worried well,” he said, but also for people with serious psychological illnesses, such as addiction, borderline pathology and psychosis. He founded a residential psychoanalytic treatment center in San Rafael, Calif., which bears his name. Born in Vernal, Utah, Boyer received his medical degree at Stanford University. He lectured throughout Europe and South America, where his ideas on countertransference seemed to get a better reception. On Aug. 9 at his home in Walnut Creek.