Gabriel Patrich Clinical Counselling

Psychodynamic therapy

Posted on December 13, 2017     Leave a Comment

Psychodynamic therapy: A type of psychotherapy that draws on psychoanalytic theory to help people understand the roots of emotional distress, often by exploring unconscious motives, needs, and defenses.

Psychodynamic psychotherapy is a form of depth psychology, the primary focus of which is to reveal the unconscious content of a client’s psyche in an effort to alleviate psychic tension.

In this way, it is similar to psychoanalysis. It also relies on the interpersonal relationship between client and therapist more than other forms of depth psychology. In terms of approach, this form of therapy uses psychoanalysis adapted to a less intensive style of working, usually at a frequency of once or twice per week.

Psychodynamic therapy is a “global therapy”, or form of therapy with a focus on a holistic perspective of the client. The alternative, “problem-based” therapies, such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), aim to reduce or eliminate symptoms instead of exploring the client’s deep-seated needs, urges, and desires (McLeod, 2014).

The global vs. problem-based therapy dichotomy is not the only factor that sets psychodynamic therapy apart from these other, more common forms of therapy. Psychodynamic therapy involves the interpretation of mental and emotional processes rather than focusing on behaviour (Gad, 2017).

Psychodynamic therapists attempt to help clients find patterns in their emotions, thoughts, and beliefs in order to gain insight into their current self. These patterns are often found to begin in the client’s childhood, since psychodynamic theory holds that early life experiences are extremely influential in psychological development and functioning as an adult (Gad, 2017).

Psychodynamic therapy sessions are intense and open-ended, dictated by the client’s free association rather than a set schedule or agenda. They are typically scheduled once a week and last about an hour. While Freud’s psychoanalytic therapy (described in more detail below) demanded a much greater investment of time, current psychodynamic therapy is generally practiced in a less intensive manner (WebMD, 2014). Modern psychodynamic therapy also substitutes a pair of chairs for the stereotypical couch, and usually places the therapist and client face-to-face rather than keeping the therapist hidden from the client’s view.

In these sessions, the therapist will encourage the client to talk freely about whatever is on their (conscious) mind. The thoughts and feelings discussed will be probed for recurring patterns in the client’s unconscious mind.

Goals of Psychodynamic Therapy

The main goals of psychodynamic therapy are to (1) enhance the client’s self-awareness and (2) foster understanding of the client’s thoughts, feelings, and beliefs in relation to their past experiences, especially his or her experiences as a child (Haggerty, 2016). This is accomplished by the therapist guiding the client through the examination of unresolved conflicts and significant events in the client’s past.

The assumption in psychodynamic therapy is that chronic problems are rooted in the unconscious mind and must be brought to light for catharsis to occur. Thus, the client must have the self-awareness to discover these unconscious patterns of thought and an understanding of how these patterns came to be in order to deal with them.

Psychodynamic Theory, Perspective, and Key Concepts

To truly understand psychodynamic therapy, you need to go back to its roots. While this type of therapy has changed over the last century, it is still built on the foundations of some of the earliest work in modern psychology.

In the late 19th century, Signmud Freud was working on his grand idea of the human mind and theory of human development. His theories laid the foundation for decades of psychological research and practice. While many of these theories were eventually found to conflict with hard evidence gained through scientific research, they formed the basis for psychodynamic theory and sparked a bold new school of thought that still exists today, in a modified and updated form.

He proposed that the human mind is composed of three parts:

The id, which consists of instinct and forms the basis of the unconscious mind.

The superego, or moral component that houses our beliefs of right and wrong.

The ego, the mediator between the animal instinct of the id and the enlightened moral thought of the superego (Haggerty, 2016).

Freud hypothesized that these components grew out of certain stages in childhood development. He believed humans are born with the id, develop the ego as a toddler, and add the superego around the age of five. Freud’s hypothesis led him to the logical conclusion (based on his theory) that one’s personality is firmly rooted in their childhood experiences.

While Freud believed that each component formed in each human, the development of each component could be significantly influenced by one’s environment and family relationships. These factors could contribute to the development of a healthy sense of self and effective functioning, or they could trigger the development of neuroses and dysfunctional or distressing patterns of thought.

Whether the development led to positive or negative patterns of thought and belief, Freud held that that which truly drives human behavior is buried deep within the human mind, in what he termed the unconscious mind.

Freud theorized three levels of the mind:

The Unconscious: this level is where our instincts, deeply held beliefs, and many patterns of thought and behavior reside; we are not consciously aware of anything at this level, but Freud believed the contents of the unconscious mind make up the vast majority of who we are, what we want, and how we behave in order to get what we want.

The Subconscious or Preconscious: this level is between the conscious and unconscious, and can be called up to consciousness with purposeful effort from the individual; the contents of this level are just below the surface of consciousness.

The Conscious: this is the level at which we are fully aware; Freud believed this was the level with the least defining content, the level that makes up only a tiny sliver of who we are.

Based on this theory, Freud insisted that to truly address our issues and solve our problems, we must dig deep into the unconscious level. This is where we store our unspoken values, the beliefs we do not even realize we have, and the patterns of thought and behaviour developed in our childhood.

Basic principles:

The unconscious mind is one of the most powerful drivers of human behaviour and emotion

No behaviour is without cause; all behaviour is determined

Childhood experiences exert a significant influence on thoughts, emotions, and behavior as an adult.

Important conflicts during childhood development shape our overall personality as adults (Freud, 1899).

Freud’s theories directly support the methods of psychoanalysis, but also help form the basis of psychodynamic theory and inform the methods and techniques used in today’s psychodynamic therapy.

Psychoanalysis: The Freudian Approach

While psychoanalysis and modern psychodynamic therapy grew from the same source, there are several important differences between the two forms of therapy.

First, the timeline and duration of psychoanalysis is far more intensive than modern psychodynamic therapy. Psychoanalysis is generally conducted in two to five sessions per week, lasting several years (McLeod, 2014).

Second, the physical layout of the office or therapy room is significant – in psychoanalysis, the client (or patient, as they are usually called) lies on his or her back on a couch while the therapist sits behind them, out of their line of sight. In modern psychodynamic therapy, it is much more common for therapist and client to face one another, or at least remain in the other’s field of vision.

 Role of the Psychodynamic Therapist

The role of the therapist in psychodynamic therapy is to work with the client to discover the bases for their symptoms.

The therapist plays this role by encouraging the client to talk about the emotions they are feeling and helping the client to identify recurring patterns in their thoughts, emotions, and behaviours. He or she will aid the client in finding the significance of these patterns and discovering the effects they exert upon the client.

One of the most important roles of the therapist is to probe the client’s past. Discussion of the client’s childhood and early life experiences will likely take up a large portion of psychodynamic sessions, as this form of therapy assumes these experiences have a significant impact on the client’s current issues.

The therapist may also observe how the client interacts within the therapeutic relationship and add their own insight on the client’s relationship habits to the discussion. Psychodynamic theory holds that how the client acts in the relationship with the therapist usually mirrors how they act in other relationships, such as with a parent or other important adult from their childhood (WebMD, 2014).

In general, the therapist’s role is to aid the client in connecting the dots between their past experiences and their current problems, and leveraging their internal resources to address these problems.

Accessing the Unconscious

People tend to develop defense mechanisms. Defense mechanisms may keep painful feelings, memories, and experiences in the unconscious. A few common defense mechanisms include:

• Denial
• Repression
• Rationalization