be oblivious. Often, for example, the patient is telling the therapist one story with his words and an entirely
different story with his body, with his breathing, his movements, his posture, the pupils of his eyes, etc. The
therapist must continually work at improving his skill at the art of question-asking, which is surely the most
powerful technique at his command. The art consists first, of course, of knowing what questions to ask, but also of
knowing when to ask them and in what manner. An effective therapist strives to create an atmosphere in which the
patient is able to feel, in effect: Here, in this room, I can say anything. This is accomplished, not by the therapist
projecting an attitude of all-embracing warmth, forgiveness, and "love," but rather projecting an attitude of
respectful, benevolent interest, a sense of profound relaxation and the conviction that truth, whatever it may be,
need not ever be frightening, that liberation can be achieved only by facing facts.
I regret that there is not space here to amplify my conviction that the therapist's ability to remain deeply relaxed
while working, and to manifest his inner state to the patient, is one of his most important technical assets. Authentic
relaxation on the part of a therapist forbids the kind of stony, emotionally frozen remoteness or pedantic
impersonality which many inexperienced or insecure therapists adopt as a protective façade. Professional
effectiveness does not require such a facade and is, in fact, impeded by it, since it prevents proper rapport between
therapist and patient, and obstructs free emotional communication on the part of the patient.
I can only mention, in passing, that hypnosis is another powerful tool for penetrating repressive barriers. Hypnosis
can enable a patient to achieve a level of greatly enhanced mental concentration in which forgotten or repressed
material becomes accessible to him. Every therapist should acquire skill in the art of question-asking under
hypnosis, in hypnotic age-regression, and in other related techniques.^14
I have said that the therapist must acquire the skill of question-asking. Part of that skill consists of learning the
questions he must teach the patient to ask himself. It is astonishing how seldom a patient who is seeking to de-
repress his emotions thinks of asking himself: What do I want? This is, perhaps, the most important question a
person can ask himself—and the therapist should teach his