ABSTRACT
This chapter examines features that arise from the initial evaluation interview or trial therapy: first, the nature of the sample represented by these seven patients, which shows that it contains a preponderance of patients with traumatic backgrounds. Then "tactical defences", the forms of resistance that are encountered in patient after patient when they are put under pressure to reveal their true feelings; and finally, when the trial therapy is successful, the far-reaching consequences—sometimes including important therapeutic effects—that follow. One of the most striking characteristics of the sample is the extremely traumatic nature of the patients' early experiences. Most importantly, some patients show immediate therapeutic effects. In the series there were three examples of major therapeutic effects: The Woman with Dissociation; The Man Divided; The Reluctant Fiancee. Most patients experience relief during the trial therapy, and parallel with this there is a decrease in resistance, an increase in therapeutic alliance, and a marked increase in motivation.
