About Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis

To find an IPTAR Therapist, please click here.

In psychoanalysis and in psychotherapy, people work with their therapists toward relieving painful symptoms of unhappiness, anger and anxiety and in resolving struggles with work and relationships.

Psychoanalytic psychotherapy and psychoanalysis take as a basic premise that there is something to be gained from talking regularly with someone whose perspective, training, skills, and experience allow for a kind of listening and understanding not typically available in everyday life. By exploring underlying conflicts and ways of relating to others that are often at the root of repetitive difficulties, it is possible to work through specific problems and personal concerns (e.g. depression, anxiety, trauma, grief, relationship problems, self-esteem deficits, career issues, sexual difficulties, eating disorders, or identity questions). It is also possible to gain insight into that part of the mind that operates outside of awareness and to understand unconscious factors that often have considerable influence over thoughts, feelings and behavior. When this happens, change is possible.

What is talked about?

While psychoanalysis and psychotherapy are very much concerned with the present, they also concern themselves with the ways in which current events, interactions, and perceptions are shaped and influenced by past experiences and early relationships. In the pursuit of a greater understanding of a person's life and mind, everything - feelings, beliefs, memories, dreams, even seemingly irrelevant passing thoughts, and especially the relationship that develops between therapist and patient - is considered worthy of a shared curiosity.

What is the role of the psychotherapist/psychoanalyst?

The therapist or analyst is an involved partner in psychoanalysis and psychotherapy, helping to foster a safe, supportive environment that will enable authentic open self-exploration for the person seeking help. Over time, the relationship that forms between them becomes a means for understanding the symptoms and conflicts and ways of behaving and relating that have become problematic.

How are psychoanalysis and psychotherapy different?

Deciding on which mode of treatment would be best is a part of a process of mutual decision making between the person and the therapist. Psychoanalysis is the more intensive form of treatment. Sessions take place three, four, or five times a week, rather than once or twice weekly as they do in psychotherapy. The situation differs, as well, in that while psychotherapy usually is conducted sitting face-to-face, the analytic patient generally lies on a couch with the analyst sitting in a chair outside the patient's line of vision. This is often a freeing experience for the patient who can then turn his or her attention more fully inward and speak more comfortably about all that comes to mind.

When is psychoanalysis most helpful?

Psychoanalysis is most helpful when problems seem to be repetitive, outside of conscious control and understanding, and rooted in self-defeating patterns and negative ways of feeling, thinking, and behaving in relationship to oneself and others. Psychoanalysis is often the treatment of choice for those who have had unsuccessful attempts with briefer, less intensive therapies as well as for those who, having begun with therapy, feel the need or desire to deepen the work. It is sometimes the case that more frequent sessions make a person feel more supported, better understood, and freer to reveal their most troubling thoughts.

Why make the choice to begin?

Both therapeutic endeavors, psychoanalytic psychotherapy and psychoanalysis, involve a unique setting, circumstance, and partnership through which remarkable personal development is possible. Self-awareness can flourish; psychic pain and conflict can be reduced; coping, decision-making, and interpersonal skills can grow flexible and strong. And crucially, through psychoanalysis or psychotherapy, a person can develop the capacity to achieve far greater satisfaction and pleasure from work, love, and play.

To find an IPTAR Therapist, please click here.