Successfully analyzed patients seem to develop a self-soothing function which is heir to the therapeutic alliance between analyst and analysand. Analysis of the fundamentally narcissistic pleasure in the analytic situation itself leads to the transition from an analyst-soothing to a self-soothing function. This is attainable as a result of the earlier development of object constancy and self-cohesiveness following the rapprochement subphase and leads to the patient's ability to avoid postanalytic depression. Failure to attain an adequate self-soothing function can be traced to disturbed dyadic pregenital relationships. Thus failure to analyze the actual dyadic gratification and attachment in the analytic situation may block the transition to a self-soothing function.