Psychodynamic therapy.

What is psychodynamic therapy?

In the psychodynamic approach, emotional and psychological distress as well as unhelpful and (self-)harming behaviours are made sense of as stemming from unconscious and repressed feelings from the past, particularly from childhood. In order to avoid these feelings from arising, we therefore engage in behaviours and experience thoughts and emotions which we - most often unconsciously - have learnt from young age can protect us from these difficult feelings and memories. These are known as defenses. Therefore, aspects of this therapy involve identifying and understanding these defenses better in order to allow you to access and process difficult feelings and memories.

In this form of talking therapy, the relationship with the therapist is also deemed crucial. This is because our patterns of relating to people in the present is understood to be influenced by our past experiences, especially with our care-givers. Therefore, the relationship you form with the therapist can allow you to process and understand your past and current relational patterns.

What to expect

In psychodynamic therapy, we will spend time exploring your past, especially your relationships with your parents or caregivers, and also focus on understanding your current relationships. At times, I will allow you to speak freely without much direction – this is called ‘free association’ and can allow for unconscious thoughts, images and feelings to emerge. Together, we will also explore how our therapist-client relationship might reflect how you relate with others in your life as well as yourself. We might also spend time interpreting dreams and what these might be telling you about your unconscious thoughts, feelings and memories. Psychodynamic therapy is most often a longer-term form of therapy.