A psychoanalyst reports at mid-career

Abstract

The author states that the current pessimistic impression of the potential of psychoanalysis as a therapy is largely due to the inclusion of a disproportionate number of inexperienced analysts in reports on groups of practitioners. To correct this bias, he summarizes his own experience of two decades as a full-time psychoanalyst, describing his successful analyses as well as his unsuccessful attempts. He concludes that the satisfaction of commitment to a psychoanalytic career comes from the fact that it confirms the usefulness of the analytic method as a means to assist others to achieve personal growth and to illuminate human mental life.