- What is psychoanalytic psychotherapy?
- How does it work?
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?
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- Who can be helped by this type of psychotherapy?
- 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?
- What is the time commitment for psychotherapy?
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.
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?
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?
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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