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Simcha said:

Excellent points kim_johnson. I too, thought it was a very bad idea for him to answer the way that he did, as I can't see any good come out of it at all. It seems to only reinforce the transference issue, and I have to wonder about the stability of the therapist now. He should tread very carefully, because this is incredibly fragile right now.

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There is quite a bit of literature out there on the therapist's disclosure of these feelings. Here is an exerpt from an interview with Dr. Florence Rosellio-- she wrote "Deepening Intimacy in Psychotherapy-- Using the Erotic Transference and Countertransference:

Manny Ghent's (1990) ideas on surrender are wonderful in the way he understands the notion of emotionally yielding to another individual. Not just the patient, but also the therapist must yield to emotions and be vulnerable in order for there to be therapeutic developments. Ghent is very spiritual in his response to the individual's inner world, and I've kept this idea as my analytic mantra in work with patients. If I am asking a patient to become vulnerable, then I'd better be prepared to take a similar emotional risk in the treatment if it's indicated or thoughtfully requested by the patient.

She also said:

Well, I think the heart of psychoanalysis lies in the therapist. I believe our practices depend on our character and how we present ourselves and relate to people. One reason my patients attach to me or have emotions about me is because I try to become as real and as vulnerable as I can be. I create a demand within myself to be as emotionally available as I can be with patients. My feeling is that if I'm asking my patients to take emotional risks in their treatments, I must be willing and capable of taking similar emotional risks in their therapy if it is therapeutically appropriate.

And finally:

I think being tentative in a treatment with erotic feelings is a really good idea because it heightens our awareness of risk. Still, I don't believe we can work with an erotic transference until we feel ready.... In the same way we wait for patients to present their inner lives, they seem unconsciously to wait until we've emotionally conquered the inner struggles they create with us. It's something we know about each other in developing intimacies.

I love the idea of the therapist willing to take a risk and be vulnerable.. just as the patient is expected to do.

As far as "reinforcing the transference," I'm not sure what you mean. Do you see anything wrong with a patient having transference? We transfer feelings everyday to everyone that we come in contact to. It isn't a question of reinforcement.

Also, I am quite tired of the word "fragile." If I was so "fragile," I wouldn't be able to do this type of work with him. I'm sure a lot of people like to describe themselves, or the situations that they are in, as fragile, but I prefer not to.

And in answer to Kim, no he is not training at a psychoanalytic institute. He used to work out of there, but he no longer does.