ABSTRACT
It is common knowledge among professionals and lay public alike that most psychotherapeutic approaches do not produce therapeutic results rapidly. Frequently, extended periods of time are required before the patient is pronounced “significantly improved” but hardly ever “cured.”* Obviously, classical psychoanalysis, as well as many other versions of the old art, can involve years of many-sessions-a-week effort. Even relatively modern approaches such as flooding, systematic desensitization, solution focused therapy, narrative therapy, rational emotive behavioral therapy (REBT), and various other cognitive methodologies do not consistently produce significant results quickly (such as within the course of a few minutes or even as much as a single 45-min therapy session). Ordinarily, a number of sessions are required before one can even be certain that something noteworthy has happened. Is this a function of psychological change requiring extensive effort and time? Or could it be that therapies based on traditional notions are not entirely appropriate to the task of assisting patients in achieving change efficiently?
