It began, of course, with Freud. Psychoanalysis refers to both a theory of how the mind works and a treatment modality. In recent years, both have given way to more traditional, research-driven approaches, but psychoanalysis remains a thriving field.
Belief in the primacy of unconscious fantasy, sexual desires (libido, penis envy, oedipal complex), and dreams have wavered. But Freud also identified basic mental maneuvers such as transference, projection, and defensiveness, and showed how they distort our functioning. As a treatment based on extended self-exploration, psychoanalysis has evolved beyond the silent stereotype.
Psychoanalysis was founded by Sigmund Freud (1856-1939). Freud believed that people could be healed by making their unconscious thoughts and motivations conscious, thus gaining insight. The goal of psychoanalytic therapy is to release repressed emotions and experiences, that is, to make the unconscious conscious. It is only by having a cathartic experience (ie, healing) can the person be helped and "cured."
- Psychoanalytic psychologists see psychological problems as rooted in the unconscious mind.
- Overt symptoms are caused by latent (hidden) disturbances.
- Typical causes include unresolved issues during development or repressed trauma.
- Treatment focuses on bringing the repressed conflict to consciousness, where the client can deal with it.
How can we understand the unconscious mind?
Remember, psychoanalysis is a therapy as well as a theory. Psychoanalysis is commonly used to treat depression and anxiety disorders. In psychoanalysis (therapy), Freud would place the patient on a couch to relax, and he would sit behind them taking notes as they recounted their childhood dreams and memories. Psychoanalysis is a long process, which would involve many sessions with the psychoanalyst.
Due to the nature of defense mechanisms and the inaccessibility of deterministic forces operating in the unconscious, psychoanalysis in its classical form is a long process that often involves between 2 and 5 sessions per week for several years.
This approach assumes that symptom reduction alone is relatively inconsequential as if the underlying conflict is not resolved, more neurotic symptoms will simply be replaced. The analyst is usually a "blank screen", revealing very little about themselves so that the patient can use the space in the relationship to work on their unconscious without interference from the outside.
The psychoanalyst uses various techniques to encourage the patient to develop ideas about his behavior and the meanings of symptoms, including ink spots, parapraxes, free association, interpretation (including dream analysis), resistance analysis, and transference analysis.
