ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book explores clinical moments of a certain sort – isolated instances in the course of an ongoing treatment that stand out because they present a clinical conundrum that leaves the therapist in a quandary about how best to proceed. The therapist’s training along with his/her own clinical experience fail to provide much guidance about how to respond to what seems like a precarious predicament. The book addresses the therapy-propelling effect that ensues when the analyst frustrates certain of the patient’s needs, which the patient may interpret as indicating that they are bad or unlovable. It discusses the use of play therapy to help patients overcome their fear of knowing their feelings, and shows treatment as aimed at helping patients better understand how their mind works.
