["Secrecy" in individual and family therapy]

After a reflexion about the etymology and the semantics of the word "secret", the author presents an historical review about the pathogenetic secret and its treatment, which has not been always the task of physicians or psychiatrists. Then, on the basis of the works of Ferreira and Watzlawick, the relationship between secret and myths are shown. In individual therapy, the secret may be considered to be a central place of the anal problematic. In family therapy, the analysis of secret implies not only to define the network of the concerned persons, but also the definition of the bonds between the secret and loyalties, the distribution of power, the alliances and the definitions of the private sphere (proper to each family) and of the protective function of the secret. The "secret" could supposed to be a potential meeting point between the representatives of different therapeutics views.