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In recent years a number of interesting concepts have been developed in cognitive science research. In this paper some of these concepts are applied to the analysis of patterns of interaction in psychoanalytic situations. The focus is on a specific type of frame for knowledge representation, the Thematic Organization Point, or TOP, which captures similarities between situations based on goal-configurations, plans, failures, and explanations. Frames such as TOPs and the concept of over-learned skills are used to explain the compulsion of repetition. In addition, the concept of 'failure-driven memory' is related to the 'functional' application of psychoanalytic abstinence and to the evocation of memories, in particular early childhood memories. These theoretical concepts, and some suggestions on how to proceed in developing an interpretation, are summarized as a set of theorems. Useful heuristics for the analysis of patterns of interaction in psychoanalytic settings can be derived from cognitive science research, and they provide powerful 'tools' for clinicians. Several theoretical concepts from psychoanalytic theory can be explained from a new perspective.