This provocative book challenges two of psychology's primary assumptions: 1) clients get better due to the power of techniques and 2) psychotherapy is a scientific discipline that functions in fundamental reality. Instead, an innovative analysis of the psychotherapy outcome literature strongly supports two competing propositions: psychotherapeutic techniques have no inherent power and psychotherapy and psychopathology primarily operate in constructed reality. This does not imply that techniques don't work; rather it argues that all techniques work and have equivalent positive effect sizes. Psychology's misconstruals regarding these basic assumptions explain psychotherapy's lack of progress over the last 30 years, the difficulties encountered when trying to establish evidence-based treatments for every major diagnosis, and the inability of training and experience to enhance outcomes. In contrast, this book charts a new direction, one that actually aligns its recommendations with the findings of the outcome literature. Four new principles can be deduced from the research findings. First, since psychotherapy operates in constructed reality, most of our conceptions of psychopathology and personal problems are also constructed. This allows both client and therapist to touch psychotherapeutic pain lightly, to have a sense of the fluidity of constructed problems, and to cultivate a positive prognosis. Second, procedures continue to be employed in the room. However, they are conceptualized as rituals whose power and effectiveness are dependent on the therapeutic alliance and shared therapist/client beliefs and expectancies. Third, when techniques lack inherent power, the focus shifts from inventing new procedures to developing the charisma of the therapist. There are literally hundreds of ways to develop charisma, both inside and outside the therapy room, and the book explores a variety of practical and effective approaches. Fourth, while constructed reality can create a set of positive expectancies and is conducive to psychological fluidity, it also has a dark side: a profound sense of relativity that can lead to an encounter with the existential abyss. To resolve this issue, a constructionist psychotherapy is highly client-centered and emphasizes serving the client's ultimate concern.