The Primacy of Phenomenological Process and Sequence in Psychotherapy: A Case Study

Abstract

There is an increasing emphasis in psychotherapeutic literature on the ways in which insights and interpretations occur rather than on the content of these insights and interpretations (cf. Mindell, 1985; Kruger, 1988; Teyber, 1988). Thus, for example, in the psychoanalytic tradition (cf. Langs, 1982), sensitivity to the ‘context’ of the interpretation is considered of crucial importance, that is, how the insight relates to the current meaningful experience of the client in relation to the therapist. Similarly, in cognitive therapy (cf. Edwards, 1989), a person’s experiencing of imagery meaningfully contextualises the client’s insights about his/her ‘outmoded beliefs’.