"The thesis of this book is that recognizing and utilizing disjunctions furthers the therapeutic process by resolving stalemate and fostering progress. Illusion and distortion are replaced by consensus and knowing. The purpose of psychotherapy and psychoanalysis is to facilitate change, and disjunctions block change. As the author notes, nothing profound will happen in psychotherapy if the therapist is not willing to be disturbingly influenced by the patient. Change in the therapist is the most powerful sign to the patient of being taken seriously, of being worthwhile. The author illustrates this central point via extensive case material that runs throughout the book, showing therapist and patient together in their very human, and often agonizing struggle to bring about change."--BOOK JACKET.