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As the title implies, this is the story of a therapeutic psycho-analysis, told from the viewpoint of the patient. A popular account of a technical subject, it should be appraised both as to its accuracy and its value as entertainment.
The ætiology of the patient's complaint, a gastric ulcer, is well presented in descriptions of his early life, transference reactions and current behaviour, without mention of theories explaining how the conditions portrayed produce these effects. The patient's responses to analytic interpretation, revealed as thoughts and behaviour, illustrate graphically the therapeutic process. The value of this book lies in its presentation of analysis not as a matter of squalid mysteries and fantastic terminology, but as dealing with commonplace realities, too intimate, poignant and important for casual revelation.
Though the book is devoid of sensationalism, it is so well narrated that every reader's interest is held and his sympathy aroused. Despite the form in which it is cast, a modified case history, it is an outstanding achievement in autobiography. It will entertain those well versed in psycho-analysis and reassure those who are not.