Psychotherapy, the world's second oldest profession, is remarkably similar to the first. Both involve a contract (implicit or explicit) between a specialist and a client for a service, and for this service a fee is paid. The expectations of the client and the personality characteristics of the specialist are important in determining the success of the transaction. Both professions claim that their specific techniques are crucial, though evidence suggests that underlying nonspecific factors may really be the important determinants of a successful outcome. One makes the mind feel better, the other makes the body feel better. Both, furthermore, are difficult to study, for they are essentially human transactions. When they are taken apart on the dissecting table, a part of the interaction ceases to exist.
E. Fuller Torrey, M.D., Witchdoctors and Psychiatrists: The Common Roots of Psychotherapy and Its Future, p.1
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