The possibility of creative instances exists in everyone's life. Precursors of such creative instances are thought to include periods of searching, preparation, incubation, regression, and altered levels of consciousness. The psychotherapist may in his work encounter such creativity as an affective experience, the "Aha!" phenomenon. Kubie spoke of "creative invention," the essential process being the uncovering of new facts and especially of new relationships among both new and old data. The clinician's creative behavior may consist of his selecting the favorable content and timing for a confrontation or interpretation. Because the creative and neurotic processes may be intertwined, the possibility for creativity may correspond to the degree of freedom from neurosis. Rather than viewing creativity as an esoteric quality of genius, the author feels that with the right stimuli and motivations, most clinicians are afforded instances of participation in the creative process.