Not Just Symptoms.
How Psychoanalytic Therapy Treats the Root Causes of Your Mental Health Problems.
When you have a persistent cough, you seek out a doctor who doesn't just give you a cough suppressant, but investigates further to find the root cause. Is it an infection? An allergic reaction? Similarly, in the realm of mental health, we believe in treating not just the symptoms but addressing the core issues causing your distress. Welcome to the world of psychoanalytic therapy.
Digging Deeper
Psychoanalytic therapy, an approach that has evolved and adapted since its inception by Sigmund Freud, aims to uncover the hidden, unconscious patterns that influence our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours (American Psychoanalytic Association, 2012). This therapeutic technique isn't about quick fixes or band-aids for your mental health problems. Instead, it encourages a deep exploration of yourself, providing long-lasting solutions and profound self-understanding.
Unearthing the Unconscious
You might wonder: how does it work? Imagine an iceberg. The part of the iceberg above water represents our conscious mind - what we're aware of at any given moment. The massive part beneath the surface symbolizes our unconscious mind - a repository of thoughts, experiences, and patterns that we aren't consciously aware of but which significantly impact our lives (Freud, 1923/1961).
Psychoanalytic therapy helps you delve beneath the surface, excavate those unseen influences, and understand how they shape your daily life. By exploring these hidden aspects of your psyche, you can gain deeper insight into your behaviours, emotions, relationships, and self-perceptions.
The Journey of Psychoanalytic Therapy
Initiating psychoanalytic therapy is akin to embarking on a personal journey. This journey involves examining past experiences and emotional patterns, understanding how they affect your present life, and acquiring tools to make necessary changes.
Psychoanalytic therapy sessions often involve free association (expressing thoughts as they arise), dream analysis, exploration of resistance and transference, and other techniques that allow us to examine your unconscious mind (Breuer & Freud, 1895/2004).
The Power of Understanding
In unearthing and understanding the roots of your issues, you become empowered. You begin to understand why certain situations trigger anxiety, why particular people incite anger, or why you've formed certain self-perceptions. In gaining this insight, you're not only treating the symptoms of your mental health challenges but also addressing the root causes, paving the way for more profound and lasting changes.
Is Psychoanalytic Therapy Right for You?
Whether you're dealing with anxiety, depression, unresolved traumas, relationship issues, or simply a desire to understand yourself better, psychoanalytic therapy can offer valuable insights and sustainable solutions.
Embarking on this journey requires courage, commitment, and, most importantly, the right guide. At The Mind People, our therapists are trained in the psychoanalytic approach and are committed to accompanying you on this transformative journey.
Are you ready to dive deeper? We invite you to book a no-charge consultation at your convenience. Let's begin this journey towards lasting change and self-understanding together.
Authored by Angela Kojok of The Mind People
Learn more about Individual Psychotherapy services here.
References
American Psychoanalytic Association. (2012). About psychoanalysis. http://www.apsa.org/about-psychoanalysis
Breuer, J., & Freud, S. (2004). Studies on hysteria (N. Luckhurst, Trans.). Penguin Books. (Original work published 1895)
Freud, S. (1961). The ego and the id. In J. Strachey (Ed. and Trans.), The standard edition of the complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud (Vol. 19, pp. 3-66). Hogarth Press. (Original work published 1923)
