Psychoanalytic therapy is one of the most famous therapy in the field of psychology yet many medical health consumers don’t have the exact true idaea of what it is. Psychoanalytic therapy was originated on the idaea that past events and childhood memories that are hidden in our unconscious matter for your present well-being. That’s why its main focus is on the unconscious forces that play a crucial role in shaping our thoughts, behaviours, and emotions. It is based on the work of Sigmund Freud who founded the school of thought named ‘Psychoanalysis’.

What is Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy?

Freud described that our conscious is a reservoir of the thoughts, desires, and memories that are not visible on the surface of our conscious awareness. He believed that our unconscious thoughts and desires that are somewhat hidden are responsible for our present psychological issues. Psychoanalytic therapy believes through exploring these hidden emotions, one can find a way towards a healthy lifestyle. This therapy focuses on how this unconscious mind shapes our behaviours and thoughts. It involves looking at the childhood experiences and evaluating how these events have shaped the individual.

How to find a Psychoanalytic Therapist

If you are looking to find the perfect Psychoanalytic Therapist it is crucial to make sure that they have the appropriate qualifications, knowledge and experience. At Expat Therapy 4U we only accept therapists who have full professional proficiency in English and are highly experienced in working with people from culturally diverse backgrounds. The clinicians we approve share our values and commitment to provide high quality therapy to the expatriate community in the private sector across Europe and online worldwide. We strongly believe that therapy changes lives, and being accredited ensures all our therapists are qualified to a high standard. You can find a Psychoanalytic Therapist who is insured to practice and accredited with a recognised membership body online here.

How does Psychoanalytic Therapy work?

This therapy is often referred to as the ‘talking cure’ because the therapist spends most of the time of the session in listening to the client about their lives and events. As the clients share every experience that matters to them, the therapist focuses on looking at the patterns and the events that played a significant role in clients’ present psychological challenges. The therapist believes that the maladaptive behaviours and the mental illnesses that the person experience go way back to the unconscious thoughts, feelings, and motivation that need to be explored.

What to expect from attending Psychoanalytic Therapy?

If you are about to go into psychoanalytic psychotherapy, here are a few things to know beforehand so that you can be ready for the sessions:

• Often people going through psychoanalytic therapy meet with their therapist three times a week. It is up to their case if the therapy goes on for weeks, months, or even years. Throughout these sessions, the hope is to develop some insight into the client that makes them aware of the role their unconscious is playing in their mental well-being.
• You might find psychoanalysis a bit intense and personal. It is all about going deep into your past, relationships, and everything that includes the sensitive events of your life. You might feel a bit uncomfortable when the unconscious part of your mind comes into the light. While the proves can be uneasy, but the result is a clearer mind and approach towards better mental health.
• This approach can provoke sudden emotional responses and defence mechanisms in the client. The abler you are in facing the past stressful experiences and the memories, the more successful the therapy can be. As soon as you develop the insight and accept that these memories are challenging your mental health, the better you will be.

What is unique to Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy?

To explore the unconscious and to get the client share what he/she has long forgotten, some very important techniques are used by the therapist during the session such as:

• Free association – Where the client is asked to respond to every word the therapist says to explore the areas of the mind that are unconscious.
• Dream interpretation – where the client’s dreams are interpreted as Sigmund Freud believed that dreams are a royal road to unconsciousness.
• Transference – In this process, the client projects his feelings about someone on the therapist.

Along with these, many other techniques are used by the therapist to explore the hidden areas of clients’ minds.

What can Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy help with?

A vast number of psychological conditions can be treated with the help of psychoanalytic therapy, here are some of the specific issues that are being dealt with it:

• Identity problems
• Depression
• Phobias
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Anxiety
• Emotional struggles
• Sexual problems
• Relationship issues
• Psychosomatic disorders
• Self-destructive behaviours

People are often recommended psychoanalytic therapy when they are experiencing these symptoms for some time. Long-term symptoms of depression, maladaptive behaviours, anxiety, and other issues have long-lasting effects on a healthy lifestyle that’s why it is very important to address these issues.

What are the benefits of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy?

Just like any other therapy, psychoanalytic therapy has also its pluses and minuses. How effective or non-effective the therapy will be depending on the severity of the symptoms and the condition of the client.

In the past years, several studies have been conducted on the effectiveness of this approach and it has been concluded that psychoanalytic therapy does indeed help in the well-being of an individual through digging out the past. The therapist provides a non-judgmental and comfortable environment to the clients to let them share their most personal memories and events without hesitation.

What is unique to Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy?

Here are some of the basic points that make psychoanalytic therapy unique:

• While other therapies like CBT focuses on behaviours and cognition, the psychoanalytic therapy focuses on the complete range of emotions a person is experiencing.
• The psychoanalytic therapy helps in exploring the reasons why someone is avoiding their emotions and what role that are those emotions playing.
• Other therapies often focus on here-and-now of the issue but this therapy focuses on exploring every past event or memory that might be indulged in the present challenge so that it reduces the chances or relapse and provides better insight.
• Through this therapy, the clients can explore their relationships with others.
• While other therapies might be very oriented and less flexible, this therapy allows the client to talk freely about anything they feel or think.

Find a Psychoanalytic Therapist through the Expat Therapy 4U platform

Psychoanalytic therapy is one of the best therapies that has been proven very effective and appropriate for a lot of issues.

After the sessions, you will also be able to handle future stressful events with courage and best strategies. Rather than falling on to unhealthy defence mechanisms, you will be able to recognise your feelings and deal with them constructively.

Further Readings on Psychoanalytic Therapy

https://theinternationalpsychologyclinic.com/services/psychoanalytic-psychotherapy-in-london/