What Is Psychoanalytic Therapy and Why Is It Helpful?

What is Psychoanalytic Therapy?

Psychoanalytic Therapy is a talk therapy that is rooted in the ideology that people are motivated by their unconscious biases, desires, emotions, and memories. You would be correct in hypothesizing that Psychoanalytic Therapy once again includes the main developer of some famous psychological theories, Sigmund Freud. 

Sigmund Freud developed the famous theory of psychoanalysis, which psychoanalytic therapy is based on. Freud suggested that mental health concerns commonly arise due to the conflict between the conscious and unconscious beliefs that an individual has. The conflict often results in the mind making a ‘compromise’. Compromises can be showcased through the individual's defense mechanisms. 

Defense mechanisms that an individual might have can often include behaviors such as;

• Denial
• Repression
• Projection
• Destructive thinking patterns
• Regression
• Rationalization

The goal of psychoanalytic therapy is to identify those destructive thought patterns and behaviors that are causing emotional distress. In today’s world, psychoanalytic therapists can help people uncover their unconscious feelings and memories by supporting them to identify negative thought behaviors as well as overcoming past traumas through the use of common psychological therapy techniques. 

Once these unconscious thoughts have been identified, the therapist can work with the individual to interpret those insights. This supports both the client and the therapist in understanding the current difficulties and identifying possible routes for change. 

Unfortunately, the move towards Psychoanalytic Therapy has slowed in recent years. There is a strong interest in the subject. However, only a small percentage of therapists in the United States of America engage in psychoanalysis as their primary delivery of mental health treatment (Good therapy, 2017). 

Nevertheless, Psychoanalytic Therapy options for individuals interested in this kind of therapy style can be beneficial. However, it is important to note that this therapy style will only adhere to some clients.

How is Psychoanalytic Therapy helpful?

There are a variety of reasons why psychoanalytic therapy can be extremely helpful for some individuals who are struggling with psychological concerns. Here are a few reasons as to why Psychoanalytic Therapy can be beneficial for individuals:

Insight and awareness

Psychoanalytic Therapy can facilitate insight and awareness into the self. Seeking to uncover the unconscious cognitions, Psychoanalytic Therapy allows individuals to understand their motivations, patterns of thinking about things, and behaviors. 

This therapy focuses on the past and supports individuals to comprehend how those events have shaped their unconscious thoughts. Consequently, psychoanalytic therapy can support individuals in actively identifying where they would like to make changes. 

Resolving inner conflicts

Psychoanalytic Therapy can benefit individuals who are struggling with inner conflicts. Unconscious cognition can play a detrimental role in the psychological well-being of an individual. Inner conflicts can seep into the daily life of the client. 

They may even notice they begin to see these conflicts being projected into relationships and external activities. By bringing awareness to their inner conflicts, Psychoanalytic Therapy can support individuals in working through a resolution for these issues. This can support them in living a more positive life. 

Social functioning

Lindfors et al. (2019) created a longitudinal study of 10 years that found Psychoanalytic Therapy sessions facilitated individuals to have positive ongoing improvements in their social functioning. 

Psychopathology benefits

Ribeiro et al. (2017)’s review found that Psychoanalytic Therapy was helpful for individuals who were struggling with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Ultimately, the cost of the treatment was low compared with other treatment options for short-term and long-term treatment times. As stated below, there are many other psychological benefits in which Psychoanalytic Therapy can support people. 

Enhancing coping skills

Once individuals can identify their unconscious cognition and feelings, they can work towards a resolution. This is not only done through the core of Psychoanalytic Therapy but also through the therapeutic relationship. Therapists can support clients to develop healthy coping skills for dealing with the challenges that arise for them. 

Psychoanalytic Therapy techniques and exercises

Within Psychoanalytic Therapy, psychotherapists can use various techniques and skills to enhance the overall experience and effectiveness of this psychotherapy. Common techniques include:

Transference analysis

Transference analysis is a common technique within psychoanalytic therapy. As with other therapies, the therapeutic relationship is really important. However, psychoanalytic therapy differs as the therapist can delve into the feelings and behaviors presented towards the therapist by the individual. 

By considering the individual's behavior towards the therapist can offer some insight into the past experiences in their childhood relating to caregivers, and therapists can make their own judgments about this. It can also help dictate what moving forward might look like for the therapy sessions. 

Dream analysis

Psychoanalytic therapy holds the ideology that the many thoughts, memories, and drives that remain outside of conscious awareness show themselves through our dreams and fantasies. 

Therapists might work to comprehend what recurring dreams/fantasies might be truly displaying about the individual’s unconscious mind. These recurring symbols and imagery can help determine key emerging themes and patterns in the client’s life. 

Interpretation

This process within the psychoanalytic therapy sessions sallows a therapist to piece together their various observations to create a somewhat cohesive ‘narrative’ about what the client might be experiencing. 

This works by considering how unconscious behaviors may be playing a major role in their conscious behaviors. Common interpretations that therapists may focus on are body language, emotional expressions, and verbal and non-verbal communication. 

Free association

Psychoanalytic therapy differs from other therapies that are targeted towards discussions that have a clear goal in mind. Psychoanalytic therapy uses a free association technique that involves encouraging the individual to talk about what is on their mind openly. 

The free association approach is thought to bring unconscious thoughts, fears, shame, and motivations to the forefront of the individual's mind. This can help the therapist identify what might be happening and comprehend their client better. 

Resistance analysis

This refers to some of the possible unconscious attempts to prevent anxiety-provoking situations from happening or entering the consciousness. Resistance can be identified in clients who may display things such as not talking to the therapist during their sessions, being late all the time, and not doing any required homework to help themselves during this process. 

From these resistance patterns, therapists can determine what conflicts the individual is facing and how to successfully get the therapy sessions moving forward. 

Journaling 

Journaling is a great exercise that individuals who are undergoing psychoanalytic therapy can do. By keeping a thought journal, clients can record how they felt their day went, what emotions and cognitions they experienced, and any dreams they may have between their sessions. J

ournals can also help the individual and therapist to revisit and debrief on any concerning elements of their note-taking or to simply talk more in-depth about things happening outside of therapy. 

Self-reflection worksheets

Psychoanalytic therapists may want to set out self-reflection worksheets as in therapy sessions or homework therapy assignments. This exercise can promote the identification of personal goals, values, experiences, and aspects of an individual’s life. Once identified, individuals can use this worksheet to determine future treatment plans or goals they may want to work towards. Self-reflection worksheets can also support individuals in their personal growth journey. 

When is it best to take Psychoanalytic Therapy?

Ultimately, the decision of when to engage with Psychoanalytic Therapy options can depend on various aspects of an individual's life, and it’s important to remember that this type of therapy delves into exploring unconscious thoughts. Here are some scenarios where partaking in Psychoanalytic Therapy may be beneficial:

Self-exploration & personal growth

Psychoanalytic Therapy can benefit individuals looking for personal growth and exploration techniques. This is because Psychoanalytic Therapy can focus on the unconscious thoughts and feelings one may be having. Consequently, Psychoanalytic Therapy may be beneficial for exploring deep-rooted personal values and core beliefs, allowing for change if needed. 

Changing patterns of behavior

Individuals stuck in negative patterns of behavior might benefit from undergoing Psychoanalytic Therapy as the focus remains on unconscious cognition. 

For example, an individual struggling to maintain relationships may have a certain attachment style they are unaware of that makes it difficult for them to build and maintain positive relationships. Psychoanalytic Therapy may be beneficial for those individuals. This is the same for interpersonal challenges. 

Life transitions

Psychoanalytic Therapy may also support people who are going through life transitions. These transitions could include divorce, marriage, child-rearing, moving house or occupation, and other events requiring support. Psychoanalytic Therapy can support individuals by delving into why they may be feeling anxiety around this and what their unconscious mind might be saying to them. 

Psychopathology

Psychoanalytic Therapy may be good for people who are struggling with some kind of psychopathology. (Dorwart, 2022) suggests that much of the research on Psychoanalytic Therapy supports its use for mood disorders such as depression and anxiety.

How can Carepatron help with Psychoanalytic Therapy-related work?

Carepatron is the best place to do your Psychoanalytic Therapy-related work for various reasons. We know how much you value spending time supporting your clients. That’s why we’ve created over 1,000 easy-to-access resources to help you become a healthcare practitioner who can spend more time with your patients. 

As your Psychoanalytic Therapy app, you can look forward to a more advanced way to utilize mental health resources in your practice. With our aesthetic worksheets you can incorporate into your Psychoanalytic practices, you can rest assured knowing you are getting all the correct information from your client to support them moving forward. 

Not only does Carepatron support you in your Psychoanalytic Therapy sessions, but we can also take your mind off of those pesky administrative tasks that take up your valuable time with your clients. We’ll let you get back to doing what you love. 

Utilizing Careaptron as your Psychoanalytic Therapy software, you can look forward to a powerhouse of resources that allow everything to flow seamlessly behind the scenes. As your therapy practice management software, you won’t have to worry if your invoices are being paid and your clients are showing up to their sessions. Carepatron is an excellent therapy scheduling software!

Carepatron is the best place to take care of those administrative tasks you may dread and securely store the important client notes you record. As a therapy EHR, you can rely on us to keep your completed templates, resources, and client/patient notes in our safe system. You can access this anytime, creating a great home and work-life dynamic. 

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