ABSTRACT
It has always been easy for analysts to think about the practice of psychoanalysis and psychotherapy in terms of how best to communi cate our understanding of dynamic process to our patients. After all, much of psychoanalysis is focused on clarifying meaning: the meaning of unconscious process, of early experience, of transference material. When we are engaged in this endeavor, we may feel more or less "on the ball/' that is, more or less clear about the implicit message embed ded in our patients' communications. In any event, we know why we are there with the patient, and our task is apparently clear-to help our patients make therapeutic use of a deeper level of self-understand ing. To that end, we study our patients and ourselves with the aim of enhancing and broadening our capacity to gather and effectively communicate meaning to our patients. And for good reason. Most of us have experienced firsthand the powerful impact that a good inter pretation can have on self-experience and ultimately on our capacity for change.
