Contents
Psychoanalytical psychotherapy may be associated with a film vision – the patient is lying on a couch and the therapist asks him questions. However, this form of meeting is characteristic of psychoanalysis, while during psychoanalytical psychotherapy the patient and the therapist sit opposite each other. What is psychoanalytical psychotherapy, for whom is it indicated and how does it proceed?
Psychoanalytical psychotherapy – main assumptions
Psychoanalytic psychotherapy is an approach that derives from the classical psychoanalysis of Sigmund Freud. Nowadays, psychoanalytical therapies are used that use specific and quite consistent techniques. They involve discussing problematic thoughts and feelings, experiences, interpersonal relationships, as well as developing the relationship between the therapist and the patient.
Focusing on various aspects of personality development, the patient’s unconscious difficulties and the way of perceiving reality becomes possible thanks to interpretation. Psychotherapist using psychoanalytical methods gets to know the session participant thanks to the fact that he projects his thoughts and feelings on the person conducting the conversation. The patient offers his subjective vision of himself and the world around him, and the therapist processes the obtained information and, as a neutral person, presents it in a modified form. The perspective offered by the therapist allows to define thought patterns, issues that are difficult to accept or are repressed by the participant of the therapy.
- Also read: Psychoanalysis – theory, contemporary psychology
Psychoanalytical psychotherapy – indications
The suggestion to start psychotherapeutic treatment may come from a psychologist, it may be an idea of the future patient or his relatives. Regardless of who sees the indications for psychotherapy, it is usually based on specific symptoms, behaviors, or emotional and mental state. It is generally recognized that different types of psychotherapy are similarly effective. The choice of a specific method usually depends on the current in which a particular psychotherapist works.
If we are wondering whether psychoanalytical psychotherapy will work in our case, it is worth getting acquainted with its general assumptions and the way of managing the patient. However, it is recognized that psychoanalytical psychotherapy works well in patients:
- with neurosis and anxiety disorders;
- with personality disorders (e.g. borderline);
- affected by psychotic ailments;
- with obsessive behavior, obsessive behavior and thoughts;
- with psychosomatic symptoms;
- suffering from depression;
- whose symptoms are the result of unconscious conflicts or adaptation difficulties.
Psychoanalytical approach it is suitable for people who are ready for a gradual and in-depth analysis of the causes of specific symptoms or negative feelings. A better understanding of oneself and internal conflicts is supposed to lead to the fact that specific defense reactions lose their sense thanks to the insight into one’s own psychological processes. In this way, the therapy enables the effective elimination of negative symptoms.
Psychoanalytical psychotherapy is a long-term method. If the patient wants to improve faster, reduce symptoms and overcome the crisis, he should consider short-term psychotherapies, effective e.g. in the treatment of depression. An example of such treatment is cognitive behavioral therapy.
Psychoanalytical psychotherapy – course
When deciding to participate in psychoanalytic psychotherapy, it is worth being aware that it is quite intense. Meetings may be held even 2-3 times a week for longer periods. There is no fixed date for completing the therapy, and due to its specific nature, the entire process may take up to several years.
Before starting a psychoanalytical session, the patient can prepare for the meeting by reflecting on the topics and issues he would like to discuss. However, there is no such necessity because conversation in psychoanalytical psychotherapy runs smoothly and is not limited by patterns.
During the meetings, the patient can confide in his problems, discuss current everyday or interpersonal difficulties, as well as discharge negative emotions. The psychotherapist may ask questions about the past, childhood and current experiences.
- Also read: Projection – what is this psychological mechanism?
In the course of psychoanalytical psychotherapy, it becomes possible to explain the nature of the problems. The patient becomes aware of the mechanisms governing his behavior, learns the motives underlying his perception of reality. By transferring your experiences to the therapist and reconstructing the past, you can work through problematic issues and solve internal conflicts.
Effectiveness of psychoanalytical psychotherapy
Primary the goal of psychoanalytic psychotherapy is not the elimination of the symptoms observed in the patient, although indirectly this is the result we want to achieve. The use of psychoanalytical techniques allows the patient to confront difficult issues many times, until the internal barriers are broken and open to psychological changes. This long-term process gives a chance for emotional reevaluation and transformation of thinking in such a way that the effect turns out to be long-lasting.
Bibliography:
- Kalita L., Chrzan-Dętkoś M., The effectiveness of psychoanalytical psychotherapy, Psychoterapia 4 (183) 2017, pp. 5-16.
- Musiał M., Recovering lost parts of oneself in the process of psychoanalytical therapy, Psychoterapia 1 (144) 2008, pp. 43-54.
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