Psychoanalysis: The Patient's Cure

The article presents a patient's-eye history of a classical Freudian analysis. The author examines his early history and early years in analysis. Stages in adult life experience are juxtaposed to childhood memories in the context of the analytic project. The patient's transferential relationship with his analyst is explored in some detail. The analysis, which took place over a period of twenty-nine years, is seen as an evolving activity whose dynamic is influenced by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. The analytic relationship is shown to take on a life of its own while mirroring changes in therapeutic technique. In particular, the concept of analytic neutrality is scrutinized with regard to its indispensability in the interpretation of the transference. Termination is a major theme informing the piece, though the resolution that the patient both desires and retreats from remains elusive, appearing as a mere coda to the body of the therapeutic experience that is recounted.