ABSTRACT
I have never forgotten my first psychotherapy case 42 years ago—a 19-year-old histrionic, seductive, extremely attractive girl, a Borscht Belt singer, diagnosed with a hysterical character disorder, a term commonly used at the time. I was about one month into my psychiatric residency and was terrified. My supervisor, a psychoanalyst, said he knew what would help me be comfortable—keeping the door open about four inches. So, I saw her for a year, with the door helpfully open four inches, and learned a lot about attempts by a patient to be manipulative and seductive.
