The patient as listener: a new dimension in the structure of psychotherapy.

Abstract

In recent years a great deal has been written about the theory and technique of psychotherapy. We have witnessed the development not only of varying schools of psychotherapy but also of types of psychotherapy ranging from classical psychoanalysis to group therapy and psychodrama. We have arrived at some ideas about the indications for and the objectives of the various psychotherapies. A requisite for most types of psychoanalytically oriented, dynamic or expressive psychotherapy is the development of insight through the patient’s conflict-free sphere of the ego or observing ego and through the support of this part of the ego by the therapist’s interpretations. For the most part, psychotherapy is, however, a costly, prolonged, and exacting kind of treatment. Furthermore, the long, costly training of physicians who are qualified to conduct this type of treatment is an expensive investment. The result is, as we all know, that psychotherapy of one type or