Psychoanalysis and family therapy: Freud's Dora case reconsidered

Freud's Dora case is considered from the perspective of family therapy. Her illness is homeostatic; it holds two disturbed fractured families together. Freud considered his analysis a failure; from a systems point of view it was a partial success. His challenging technique is similar to that of modern family therapists. The theories of change underlying family therapy and psychoanalysis are compared. There are many similarities. They are mutually compatible disciplines, working at different levels.