Warren S. Poland describes the origins of his concept of witnessing, situating its emergence in the context of the shift from one to two person psychology with the rise of relational psychoanalysis. He discusses the challenge of staying close to the patient’s experience without retreating behind a conceptual barrier and considers witnessing in relation to the concepts of neutrality, holding and containment. He explains how the experience of witnessing can facilitate the development of the patient’s capacity to know him- or herself.