Envelopments: immersion in and emergence from drug misuse.

Contemporary psychodynamic therapists, as contrasted with early ones, are more active and interactive, less dependent on interpretations, and more focused on affects, self-regulation, and interpersonal relations, with a premium placed on the therapeutic alliance. Evidence supports the utility and effectiveness of the psychodynamic paradigm. Two cases are presented that demonstrate how a well-trained psychodynamic therapist is able to effectively apply such an approach to individuals with substance use disorders, in one instance a client in early treatment still immersed in her addictions, and, in the second case a client in early abstinence emerging from a long standing dependency on alcohol and cocaine.