• What is psychoanalytic psychotherapy? 

     It is one of many different types of psychotherapy. What they have in common is that they are all treatments involving talking to another person who is trained to listen and to think in a sensitive way. The aim of psychotherapy is to understand better how we behave and what motivates us, which can enable change to take place in our lives.
 

• How does it work?

     Psychotherapy involves a process of exploration undertaken by the therapist and patient together in order to gain an understanding of the unconscious processes which take place in our minds and get expressed in all our relationships. Our early experiences are important in shaping the way our minds work and a large part of our mind operates outside of our conscious awareness.
     In the psychotherapy sessions the patient is encouraged to reflect on whatever is uppermost in his/her mind during regular 50 minute sessions. Feelings, thoughts, wishes, fears, memories and dreams can be explored within the relationship between the therapist and patient. The patient is helped to understand the unconscious processes which affect their conscious thinking and behaviour. In this way, psychotherapy can gradually bring about a degree of self understanding, particularly how past experiences can affect current behaviour, and this enables the patient to find more appropriate ways of being, and of coping with difficulties. 

• How much does it cost?
  

     The cost of treatment is generally agreed upon with your therapist on an individual basis.
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• Who can be helped by this type of psychotherapy?

     In over a century since psychoanalytic psychotherapy and psychoanalysis were first developed, thousands of people in many countries have sought help through this treatment and have found it helpful in making more sense of and feeling better about their lives.Psychotherapy may be helpful to those who suspect that difficulties in their lives have an emotional or psychological origin. Everyone experiences emotional problems at some stage in life and they are often resolved without outside help. However, sometimes they persist and are repeated in various aspects of our lives, because current issues stir up feelings from the past of which we are not consciously aware, and which get in the way of us living fulfilled lives. Emotional problems can be experienced in a variety of ways:

• Feelings of anxiety and an inability to concentrate or cope
• Feelings of emptiness, sadness or depression
• Extreme mood swings or frequent anger, like road rage
• Low self esteem or lack of confidence resulting in low achievement
• Difficulty in making or sustaining relationships, or repeatedly becoming involved in unsatisfying or destructive or violent relationships.
• Sexual problems
• Social shyness and isolation
• Addictive or obsessional behaviour which may be related to alcohol, drugs, sex, internet use or gambling
• Long term difficulties following losses such as bereavement, divorce, or job loss
• Sleep problems which may include nightmares
• Phobias
• Panic attacks
• Eating disorders
• Physical symptoms and psychosomatic illnesses

• Would the treatment be confidential?
  

     In psychotherapy we aim to offer a consistent, safe and private space in which the patient feels able to talk about whatever is on his/her mind. Strict confidentiality is an essential prerequisite to this, and so we attach the highest importance to maintaining privacy with respect to all aspects of the therapy. Generally, disclosure of confidential information is resisted, even when a patient consents to this, in order to maintain a secure boundary for the very private work of psychotherapy to take place. The only circumstance in which disclosure of information to a third party would be considered without the express permission of the patient, is where the patient or another person is thought to be at severe risk. However, in such instances, this would first be discussed with the patient. Even then, the information disclosed would be limited to the absolute minimum necessary for the safety of the patient or other person. In the case of child patients, confidentiality is observed as with adult patients. It is understandable that parents may wish to know about their child’s progress during treatment and this can be discussed in general terms without breaching the child’s confidentiality.

• What is the time commitment for psychotherapy?
  

     Continuity is important in psychotherapy to allow the therapeutic process to take place. The minimum frequency of sessions is therefore weekly. However, more frequent sessions allow the patient and therapist to work at greater depth and patients are quite often seen more frequently, if this is possible. It is difficult to say how long treatment will take; it can vary from months to several years. The process is gradual and open ended. The timing of the ending of the therapy is usually agreed by discussion between the patient and therapist, although the patient is free to end at any time. Psychotherapy does require a regular commitment of time.
It is often helpful to discuss such matters in an initial exploratory consultation, in which your individual needs can be discussed with an experienced psychotherapist, who can then refer you on to a suitable psychotherapist if it is thought that psychotherapy could be helpful to you. 

• Is psychotherapy better than prescription drugs?

     People who have been prescribed medication may also be helped by psychoanalytic psychotherapy. Medication is prescribed to help alleviate the symptoms of mood disturbances, such as anxiety or depression, whereas psychotherapy seeks to address the emotional roots of these symptoms. Some patients may need to be sufficiently stabilised by medication in order to be able to undertake psychotherapy, which can in itself be an emotionally disturbing and sometimes painful process. Occasionally psychotherapists suggest that their patients seek a consultation with their GP if they consider that medication might help them for a time.

• How does psychoanalytic psychotherapy compare with CBT or other short term talking treatments?

     In psychoanalytic psychotherapy, the therapist is not directive and will not usually give advice. The process involves the therapist following and paying attention to whatever the patient presents and offering their understanding of this, including possible unconscious influences, the aim being to enable the patient to think in new ways about his/her life and thereby to find his/her own solutions to problems. Also, the relationship between the therapist and patient is a key element in the treatment. People seeking psychotherapy are usually those who are interested in gaining a deeper understanding of their symptoms and behaviour and whose symptoms are more pervasive, less specific and more longstanding. This motivation is an important prerequisite of psychotherapy.

CBT (Cognitive Behaviour Therapy) concentrates on how the patient’s thoughts and beliefs affect their feelings and behaviour. The therapist devises strategies for the patient to practise in their day to day lives, aimed at helping the patient deal with difficult or problematic emotional states, symptoms and behaviours. It focuses on treating specific symptoms and can be very helpful in this respect. It is not concerned with understanding the deeper meanings of symptoms and what motivates the patient, such as the unconscious factors referred to above. In CBT, the therapist would be quite directive in recommending strategies to change thought patterns and behaviour and would tend to focus on the present and future and be less concerned with the past.

• What is the difference between psychoanalytic psychotherapy and other types of treatment?

     There are numerous types of treatment available for psychological suffering and difficulties.While terms like counselling or psychotherapy, psychologist, psychiatrist, counselor or psychotherapist are used loosely and interchangeably, they are fundamentally different:      
A psychiatrist or a general practitioner will approach things from a medical perspective, and they are likely to prescribe medication. A counselor will approach the treatment from the perspective of isolated issues that you may experience, and does not seek to explore the more far reaching causes of your situation. A clinical psychologist will aim to provide you with a clinical diagnosis with a view to referring you to a specialist, such as a cognitive behavioural therapist. The focus of this will be on correcting what they have diagnosed.      
     As opposed to these approaches, analysis is about speaking freely, and it begins from the premise that we may not be consciously aware of what makes us suffer. It does not seek to correct our behaviour, nor does it seek to make us 'normal'. Instead, it privileges desire as central to the human condition. However, it also recognises that this desire may be masked by our psychological symptoms or obstructed by our inhibitions, and that it may be excessively influenced by the people and conditions that are part of our experience.

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