title: Failure and transformation in the relationship between patient and therapist.
abstract: In the field of addictions, the changes believed to be effective by health professionals are usually those founded on programs based on the idea of control. However, control has its own limitations, and failures. Some failures in treating addiction appear to start a transformation of experience, be it personal or regarding the therapeutic relationship. A typical example of failure and transformation is how Alcoholics Anonymous works; this was originated by the spiritual direction that Swiss psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung gave to one of his alcoholic patients. In extreme cases of the patient's death, professionals may experience absolute defeat and powerlessness. In any case, failure implies a deflation of the ego and the defeat of egocentrism.
authors.affiliation: Agenzia Regionale di Sanità Toscana, Firenze, Italy. allamana@gmail.com
authors.forename: Allaman
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Allamani
mesh_terms: D004532:Ego; D006801:Humans; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D017211:Treatment Failure