The ethics of accompaniment

The analyst's ethics demands a profound renunciation: the abandonment of any desire to direct, shape, or determine the analysand's life path. Unlike a mentor who guides or a teacher who instructs, the analyst embraces a unique position of companionship that consciously resists the temptation to lead. This ethical stance requires a continuous practice of restraint, acknowledging that true liberation emerges not from guidance, but from the space to discover one's own way.

The beauty of this relationship lies in its inherent temporality. The analyst walks alongside the analysand with the clear understanding that their presence is provisional, that the journey together will naturally conclude when it is no longer needed. This awareness transforms the analytical relationship into something rare in our directive world: a space where one can simply be, without the pressure to conform to another's vision or expectations.

Perhaps the most liberating aspect of this ethical position is the deliberate refusal to tell another what to do with their life. In a world saturated with advice, opinions, and prescriptions for living, the analyst offers something far more valuable: the freedom to discover one's own truth, to make one's own mistakes, and to find one's own path. This restraint becomes a powerful form of respect for the analysand's autonomy and capacity for self-determination.