About psychoanalysis

Founded by Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), psychoanalysis uses speech and listening as a means of addressing the psychological problems and conflicts that cause us suffering in life.

In the psychoanalytic work, the analyst invites the patient to speak freely, to “say whatever comes to mind,” while offering them a listening ear. The patient is encouraged to express what troubles them, to put their suffering into words, while the analyst listens and reflects back to them what is said, so that they may begin to relate to their experience of suffering in a new way.

Within a psychoanalytic framework, each individual is seen as singular and unique, with their own particular lived experience and personal history. The symptomatic forms of suffering that individuals experience in life are understood to be meaningful, resulting from their personal history and familial dynamics, as well as the broader social and cultural context they inhabit. By exploring how and why we suffer, psychoanalysis offers us the possibility to move beyond the anguish we experience and gain a new understanding of ourselves and what we want out of life.

How we understand and treat symptoms in psychoanalysis

In psychoanalysis, symptoms such as anxiety, depression, phobias, addiction and recurring relationship issues are seen to be expressions of underlying conflicts. In this way, symptoms are understood to be meaningful products of one’s personal history and experience; they have a sense or logic that is unique to each particular person. Psychoanalytic work does not aim for immediate symptom relief; instead, it seeks to explore the symptoms and the associations they give rise to so that the unconscious conflicts that underlie them can be worked through, which, in turn, typically resolves the presenting symptom.

The psychoanalytic work

In psychoanalytic work, the analyst and the patient meet weekly (or more frequently) on an ongoing basis, working together to explore and interpret the patient’s speech while listening to how the unconscious expresses itself. In the analytic session, the patient is invited to express whatever comes to mind, regardless of how unacceptable, irrelevant, or nonsensical it may seem. In turn, the analyst lends a listening ear, paying close attention to the patient’s speech, asking questions, emphasising keywords and phrases, and offering interpretations. This process of free association and open and attentive listening is the foundation of psychoanalytic work, as it allows unconscious material to arise and be explored in speech that would not otherwise be accessible to the patient. It is the act of bringing to light and working through this unconscious material that is decisive for psychoanalytic treatment.

Why pursue psychoanalysis rather than another form of therapy?

While there are many different types of therapy that can help address specific issues, psychoanalysis is particularly suited to address long-standing and pervasive forms of suffering. Psychoanalysis is an intensive form of treatment, requiring sustained work and commitment from both the patient and the analyst. This intensity, coupled with psychoanalysis’ emphasis on the individuality of the patient and the central importance of unconscious factors, allows the patient to develop a more comprehensive understanding of their experience as a whole and why they suffer. This approach increases the likelihood that they will resolve conflicts and problems that other modes of treatment may have been unable to address, and in doing so, undergo lasting change.