Abstract
The problems which psychotherapists are asked to resolve are often the very experiences which the patient should be living. This paper describes how easily the therapist can collude with the patient's rejection of life by agreeing to remove a symptom. After differentiating two therapeutic attitudes, the attitudes of "Merlin" and "Christ," the case of a patient whom the author refused to treat for her "insomnia," lest he collude with her rejection of lie, is considered. Finally, Nietzsche's notion of amor fati and Tillich's view of courage are examined in terms of their usefulness in therapy.