ASSIMILATION ANALYSIS OF PROCESS-EXPERIENTIAL PSYCHOTHERAPY - A COMPARISON OF 2 CASES

The assimilation model proposes a sequence of cognitive/affective leve ls through which a problematic experience is assimilated into a schema during successful psychotherapy. This research applied the assimilati on model to two cases of process-experiential psychotherapy-one that w as successful and one that was unsuccessful, according to conventional outcome criteria. Qualitative analysis of the successful client's tra nscripts suggested that assimilation occurred in at least three proble matic experiences. Analysis of three themes in the nominally unsuccess ful therapy suggested that the client made progress but that assimilat ion was blocked at two levels of the assimilation sequence.