ABSTRACT
As noted previously (Hirsch, 2008), my most significant learning in life, and in my work in particular, has come from failures. Learning from disappointment is a theme I consistently preach to students in the context of presenting analytic treatments that are not going well or have already failed by virtue of patients leaving therapy prematurely. This is an apt attitude for me, one who was raised with a legacy of maternal anxiety and worry and who identified with the tendency to expect the worst. It was adaptive for me to embrace a certain dysphoria and sense of the darkness in life. This gave me a sense of control when the inevitable large and small bad experiences emerged. To this day, personal analysis well behind me, I still believe with conviction that matters are more likely to turn out badly for me when I am optimistic.
