The psychoanalytic situation, with its open-ended and non-directive conscious and unconscious communication between analysand and analyst, enables the formation of new psychic genera. For this to happen, both participants need to be able to respond intuitively, to perceive subtle inner shifts and unexpected links in the flow of associations. It is significant that Bollas frequently compares these psychoanalytic processes with descriptions given by both artists and scientists of their experiences of creativity.
