Psychodynamic Psycotherapy: What it is and isn’t

Understanding Psychodynamic Psychotherapy: A Path to Deep Healing

In my practice as a psychologist, I often work with clients who are navigating emotional pain, unresolved trauma, or difficult relationships. One approach that has proven to be immensely effective in helping individuals understand and overcome their challenges is psychodynamic psychotherapy. This therapeutic approach offers a deep exploration into the unconscious mind, helping clients gain insight into the underlying causes of their emotions, behaviors, and relationships. Today, I’d like to explore some key concepts of psychodynamic psychotherapy and why it could be the right fit for you.

Common Misconceptions About Psychodynamic Therapy

Psychodynamic psychotherapy is frequently misunderstood. Here are a few common misconceptions:

1. The focus is on sexuality: While Freud’s early work emphasized sexuality, modern psychodynamic therapy is not solely focused on sexual issues. Instead, it looks at the broader patterns in our relationships and the unconscious drives that shape our behavior.
2. The therapist is a “blank screen”: Some people believe that psychodynamic therapists are stone-faced and do not share their own feelings or reactions. In reality, psychodynamic therapists engage with their clients, offering insights and feedback that can foster a deeper understanding of the therapeutic process.
3. The therapist never expresses opinions: Another misconception is that therapists should remain entirely neutral and never express judgment. While it’s true that therapists remain objective, they do offer insights that help the client examine their thoughts and behaviors.

Key Features of Psychodynamic Therapy

Psychodynamic therapy is a process that invites you to explore your internal world. Here are some key features of the therapy that can lead to lasting change:

• Increased Self-Awareness: Through psychodynamic therapy, you can gain a clearer understanding of unconscious feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. This self-awareness helps break patterns that may be limiting your growth.
• Greater Awareness of Relationships: The therapy helps you identify recurring patterns in your relationships. By recognizing these patterns, you can make conscious choices to change them and build healthier connections with others.
• Exploring Unconscious Conflicts: Often, we’re unaware of the unconscious conflicts driving our behavior. Psychodynamic therapy brings these conflicts to light, providing relief from symptoms like anxiety and depression, and enabling emotional healing.
• Increased Resilience and Coping Skills: As you work through unresolved issues, you build emotional resilience, allowing you to handle life’s challenges with greater strength and flexibility.
• Long-Lasting Results: Unlike some therapeutic methods that offer temporary relief, psychodynamic therapy aims for lasting change. Over time, the insights you gain continue to shape your emotional well-being and relationships.

The Unconscious Mind: Memory and Motivation

Much of our mental life operates in the unconscious. It’s where unresolved conflicts, repressed memories, and emotional wounds are stored. These unconscious memories can influence our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in ways we might not even be aware of.

One way we see this is through procedural memory, which governs many defense mechanisms. For example, the defense mechanism of suppression involves consciously pushing painful feelings from memory. These mechanisms are vital to understanding why we react in certain ways without always knowing why.

Psychodynamic therapy works to bring these unconscious memories and processes into the light, allowing you to understand their impact on your life and begin healing from them.

Psychodynamic vs. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

While both psychodynamic therapy and CBT can help with emotional struggles, they approach therapy from different angles.

• CBT is more focused on changing current thoughts and behaviors, helping you replace negative patterns with healthier alternatives. It doesn’t delve as deeply into past experiences. It is a great option to support immediate relief of issues.
• Psychodynamic therapy, on the other hand, focuses on understanding the underlying emotional issues that influence current thoughts and behaviors. It works to uncover the emotional roots of problems, including past relationships and unresolved conflicts, so that lasting change can occur.

Practical Application: Exploring Wishes and Conflicts in Therapy

A key concept in psychodynamic therapy is wish—our unconscious desires that influence how we react in relationships. For example, someone may have an unconscious wish to be loved and cared for but may struggle with independence in their relationships. These conflicting wishes can lead to internal tension and can often be seen in therapy.

In therapy, we explore these wishes and identify the conflicts they create. For instance, a person might desire emotional closeness with a partner, but their deep-rooted fear of being abandoned may make them push the partner away. By bringing this conflict to the surface, we can work through it together, allowing the person to form healthier, more balanced relationships.

The Covert and Overt Themes in Therapy

In addition to overt themes, such as a desire for love or safety, covert themes often emerge. These covert themes represent hidden, often unspoken emotions that are driving behavior. By exploring both overt and covert themes, therapy helps you understand the full range of emotions and motivations at play in your life, leading to deeper self-awareness and healing.

The Power of Psychodynamic Therapy

Psychodynamic psychotherapy is a powerful tool for understanding and healing from emotional wounds. By exploring unconscious desires, past experiences, and relational patterns, you can gain valuable insights that lead to lasting change. If you find yourself struggling with unresolved emotional conflicts or unhealthy relationship patterns, psychodynamic therapy may be a helpful path to consider.

At my practice, we work together to explore your emotional landscape and help you create a new narrative—one where you can heal, grow, and build healthier, more fulfilling relationships.

If you’re interested in learning more or booking an appointment, feel free to reach out today.