Psychoanalysis is _not_ generally considered to be the treatment of choice for severe impairments, such as alcoholism, drug abuse, and psychotic disturbances, when your life is clearly out of control. Analysis is also _not_ generally an appropriate form of treatment for immediate problems arising from sudden environmental changes, such as the loss of a job, or loneliness after a transfer to a new job location, or after a divorce or separation. In some instances, if problems of this kind are not resolved after a reasonable adjustment period, analysis might then be considered. Other approaches to therapy lend themselves better to specific and immediate adjustment problems, as we will see. We have been describing the appropriateness of psychoanalysis for the treatment of certain kinds of problems, but there is an equally important, and frequently overlooked, question: whether psychoanalysis is appropriate _for the kind of person you are_. Psychoanalysis is best suited to individuals with these characteristics: * They are verbally articulate. * They have a sense of curiosity about themselves. * They have a good reflective capacity and an interest in achieving insight through a careful analysis of their thoughts, feelings, behavior, and past history. {122} * They are comparatively unimpaired in their abilities to form relationships. * They are able to tolerate the frustration, and endure the pain, of re-experiencing disturbing feelings and memories. * They are willing to be patient through a potentially long period in treatment and can sustain a commitment to that process. {123} 10 PSYCHOTHERAPY, PART I Client-Centered Therapy, Gestalt Therapy, Transactional Analysis, Rational-Emotive Therapy, and Existential-Humanistic Therapy The approaches to therapy we will look at in this chapter are called _humanistic therapies_. They include client-centered therapy, Gestalt therapy, transactional analysis (or TA), cognitive therapy, and existential (or existential-humanistic) psychotherapy. These approaches share the view that an effective therapist must be able to become conscious of the world as it is for the client. Doing this requires the therapist to have a heightened sensitivity to others, feel a fundamental measure of respect for them, and ideally be able to adjust to their very individual needs and concerns. All of the therapies we will examine in this chapter place priority on the client's subjective feelings and experiences. {124} CLIENT-CENTERED THERAPY _For people who have not developed a sense of personal worth; who are in need of acceptance, human warmth, and gentle encouragement; and who have the initiative to proceed both in therapy and outside of therapy without explicit direction from the therapist._