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The Other Side of the Couch:

The Healing Bond in Psychiatry

  From the Epilogue

"This book is an exploration of a world unknown to most of us.  It is also meant to guide anyone in psychiatric treatment or psychotherapy and anyone considering treatment for themselves or someone they care for.

. . . .We should know what the best care is—not the average, and not the minimum—so that we can have a gauge against which to measure.  Then we can make our choices. . . ."

 

​​"Intellectual insight is never enough. Expect to feel better and behave differently, even if the changes are initially small. Remember, you came into treatment because you wanted your life to be better.

 

You may have some specific target ares in mind: you want to end the relationship you're in, or start a new one, or get a better job. These goals should be talked about and kept seriously in mind as treatment proceeds.

You should begin to show some kind of change rapidly: whether it's feeling less distressed or more able to concentrate.  The first signs are likely to appear in a few weeks, six at the most, although continuing change is going to be stepwise or apparent only after looking backward. . . .

If nothing  in your life changes after six months, or if you feel that time that treatment isn't going as it should, talk with your therapist. . . .If your therapist consistently opposes a consultation, interpret this as a  very bad sign.  And get a consultation." 

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