Identifying Emotional Structures in the Experience of Repeated Failures in Psychotherapy

Abstract

The aim of this study was to identify the emotional structures within the lived experience of repeated failures in psychotherapy and to explore its affective, interpretive, and coping dimensions. This qualitative research employed an interpretative phenomenological approach. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 24 participants from Tehran who had experienced at least two unsuccessful psychotherapy attempts. Participants were selected purposefully, and data collection continued until theoretical saturation. Thematic analysis was performed using NVivo software through a six-phase coding process. Three main themes emerged: (1) emotional experience of therapeutic failure, (2) meaning reconstruction regarding failed treatments, and (3) coping strategies following failure. Subthemes included feelings of helplessness, shame, rejection, rethinking success, enhanced emotional self-awareness, and temporary withdrawal from therapy. These results suggest that therapy failure is not merely an external event but a complex internal process with profound emotional implications. Failures in psychotherapy are shaped by multilayered emotional structures that can affect therapy continuation, perceptions of therapists, and psychological recovery. Understanding these structures is essential to improve therapists’ emotional sensitivity, prevent early dropout, and develop effective reparative interventions.