ABSTRACT

The reader who has made himself familiar with the previous chapters has within his grasp all the principles of dynamic psychotherapy, which now need to be summarized.

Within an atmosphere of unconditional acceptance, the therapist establishes a relationship with the patient, the aim of which - usually unspoken - is to enable the patient to understand his true feelings and to bring them to the surface and experience them. For this purpose the therapist uses theoretical knowledge, guided wherever possible by his own self-knowledge, to identify himself with the patient; and puts his understanding to the patient in the form of interpretations, which constitute his main therapeutic tool.