Assimilation of voices in psychotherapy: The case of Jan

The authors present a marker-based method for tracking the assimilation of a previously outcast voice into the self, conceived as a community of voice s. In a qualitative assimilation analysis of the case of Jan, a woman whose depressive symptoms abated in process experiential psychotherapy, the auth ors tracked 2 major themes, excerpted 43 relevant passages, and rated each passage on the Assimilation of Problematic Experiences Scale (APES). Rating s by 3 independent raters who used a marker-based APES manual were highly c orrelated with the investigators' consensus ratings. APES ratings tended to increase across sessions, as expected in successful therapy. The authors p resent passages to illustrate the assimilation of a voice of neediness and weakness by Jan's dominant superwoman voice and the assimilation of a voice of rebellion and assertiveness by lan's dominant good-girl voice, yielding a more complex and flexible community.