Undergoing intensive psychodynamic psychotherapy is deeply personal. For many individuals, this adventure into unknown recesses of their psyches reveals personal vistas previously unimagined. Such exploration frequently involves painful disclosures, frightening discoveries, an extraordinary development of self-understanding, an increase in capacity for intimate sharing, and an integration of strengths and aspirations. Such a journey, with phases of both pain and exhilaration, usually takes place over an extended period.