Psychotic disorders deeply affect the daily lives of those affected and strain their relationships with themselves and others. Understanding the psychodynamics of psychoses is essential for diagnosis and therapy. The meaning of a psychosis becomes clear to the therapist when they take seriously what the psychotically ill person has to say and allow themselves to be touched by the relationship with them. The patient's current relational patterns point to biographically significant experiences. This introduction presents the key psychoanalytic concepts of psychosis, summarizes the psychodynamically relevant diagnostic and therapeutic dimensions within a multi-level model, and elaborates on the implications for the therapeutic stance. Numerous clinical examples illustrate and deepen the concepts.