ABSTRACT
The idea of making interpretations may seem daunting to beginners, who feel that until they have become fluent in the language of psychoanalytic theory they will be ill-equipped to make the translations needed to help the patient. In fact we are always making ‘interpretations’ in the sense of finding meaning in, and building a coherent story out of, everyday occurrences. Making interpretations is only a component of the therapist’s task; some would say his most important task; but the phrase has acquired a grandiose ring which is sometimes taken to imply that only those who have been initiated into the esoteric mysteries of the unconscious are entitled to embark upon it. Making sense of the patient’s symptoms and discourse depends upon the therapist’s assumptions about life and the nature of what it is to be human.
