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In this strikingly candid volume, McLaughlin invites the reader on a journey through his transformation from a classically trained to a contemporary psychoanalyst. Though he is certainly not alone in increasingly recognizing the centrality of the patient's inner experience, McLaughlin's story constitutes a uniquely fascinating example of one such metamorphosis. The author's intent, however, is not that we imitate his style, but rather that we more fully develop our own professional selves, predicated on recognizing and taking more responsibility for our own contributions to the treatment process.
McLaughlin's idiosyncratic writing style is highly effective in its use of metaphor and imagery. His language is colorful and evocative throughout, while his somewhat tongue-in-cheek descriptions of various clinical situations convey, on a deeper level, a profound acceptance of and respect for the patient's subjective experience. For example, in describing the case of Mrs. P, McLaughlin states that her “… running monologues about her chronic frustrations as wife, mother, and career dropout were masterpieces of circumstantial ambiguity” (p. 189). In another chapter, while discussing a therapeutic stalemate, the author says that “… Ms. Q whiled away the time acid-etching the bones of my insufficiencies and contrasting their remains with her own gradual emergence to contentment and satisfaction …” (p. 85).