As I stated before, in psychotherapy, you make yourself deeply vulnerable to another human being, and allow many disturbing feelings and thoughts to be expressed. This is absolutely necessary to your healing. The process of creating a safe space in which therapy can take place is referred to as building a secure frame, and it is a very important aspect of therapy. It includes the physical surroundings, the emotional environment, the psychotherapeutic structure, and the relationship between you and your therapist. A secure frame is an environment in which every detail reflects structure, containment, safety, and support.
Psychodynamic therapists believe that the secure frame is a vital element of the therapy.
Others disagree about its place in the scheme, but certainly if the frame is not secure, you will find it difficult to accomplish much that is meaningful, whatever type of therapy you pursue. From what I have seen, I believe that the secure frame is the element of therapy that is most frequently abused by poor therapists, and frame deviations are too often tolerated by unknowing clients. Consciously, you may dismiss most frame deviations as unimportant. However, your unconscious mind pretty much requires a secure frame, if your therapy is to have any lasting effect. All rights reserved.