This article will examine the influence of the author's first analysis on his work as a therapist. The author reflects on the prominent features of his personal analyst and highlights mutative experiences that both capture his therapist's approach and influence the author's thinking and way of working. The process of idealization, de-idealization, and individuation are examined in relation to the author's analyst and the implications for the development of the author's analytic style. Consideration is given to the embodiment of our personal/training analysts that shows up in the specific behaviors and mannerisms we come to adopt. Connections are made between the author's personal analytic experience and the evolution of interpersonal theory and technique. The author uses his own clinical examples to illustrate how the ongoing internal dialogue with his analyst influences how he adapts to certain patients and the choices that he generates in handling various kinds of clinical situations.