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The author suggests ways to present an interpretation to a very fragile patient. While the psychoanalyst may need to employ a style of presentation that tends to enhance the patient's experience of the therapist as an understanding and participatory presence, the aim of the work remains identical to that of classical psychoanalysis, to promote insight. There is no expectation that the patient will reply to an interpretation with further associations. The timing of the interpretation is shifted away from the moment of heightened affectivity to one that tends to minimize the possibility of affective flooding. The psychoanalyst may thus delay offering the interpretation until the strong affects have abated somewhat, in order to prevent disorganization and to maintain the patient's defenses at their optimal level. Also, the patient may be asked to indicate whether he or she is ready to listen to the analyst's comments; and the extent and duration of the interpretation is left within the patient's control. This technical variation, offering an interpretation in a context of support rather than of abstinence, makes classical psychoanalysis available to patients with serious personality disorders.