“…A personal experience that predates the concept of manualized therapy helps to provide some perspective on the current preoccupation with manuals. In a study conducted with Jean Schimek (Wachtel & Schimek, 1970), we were attempting to trace the effects of emotionally toned incidental stimuli on subjects' mood, fantasies and thought processes. While subjects were creating Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) stories and participating in other measures, a tape recording was played in the next room in a way designed to sound like it was the sound of some activity going on next door that was not relevant to the study.…”