David Tuckett discusses the organizing framework developed from his involvement with the EPF's working party on ‘Comparative Clinical Methods’ (CCM) to assist clinical thinking about the interaction of theory and experience in the analytic session. He explains how the use of clear, practical concepts and definitions can facilitate awareness of the patient’s predicament within the transference/countertransference situation. He reflects on the reasons behind resistance to intellectual work within the field and describes how the use of theory can in fact lead to an enrichment of the analytic experience.