Pre- and Postpsychotherapy Assessment of a Patient With Retrograde Amnesia

Abstract: Retrograde amnesia is the inability to recollect memories from a certain period. In the following case study, a patient was assessed with the Zulliger inkblot test in an initial assessment before psychotherapy. At termination of the psychotherapy, 42 months later, the test was readministered. At this point, the patient had no recollection of having taken the test before, due to retrograde amnesia following electroconvulsive treatment that was given some time before the initial assessment. This situation offers a unique opportunity to study changes in test results after psychotherapy, without the memory effects of normal recollection of the initial testing. On the surface, many responses shared a striking similarity in content and wording. The structural data from coding of the test results, however, indicated important changes. These changes are discussed and elaborated in relation to the changes observed in the psychotherapeutic treatment.