When we, as psychoanalytic psychotherapists, try to answer the question of what kind of process psychoanalytic psychotherapy is, we need to start by attempting to define what mental difficulty or mental illness is in the first place.
We respond quite simply: they are psychological suffering that sought attention but did not receive it at the appropriate time and therefore had to find expression in certain symptoms. From a psychoanalytic psychotherapist’s perspective, troubling mental symptoms are psychological suffering seeking attention and the possibility of working through it. We all have experienced difficult, painful, and even frightening events in life. Some were fortunate to have someone close in their lives who could empathetically accompany them through problems and suffering, which helped protect the psyche from excessive strain. If a person experienced the presence of a balanced and emotionally attuned caregiver during development, they could internalize a secure, trusting attachment style and develop into a harmonious, creative individual with a coherent understanding of themselves, others, and the world. But what about those who were not so fortunate, whose early relationships with caregivers were insufficiently supportive? Psychoanalytic psychotherapy can help in such cases.
Before explaining how it works, we need to introduce the concept of the unconscious. During childhood development is a priority. It is protected in a way that pushes into the unconscious anything too overwhelming for the mind. This mechanism functions like a fuse: if too much tension were to flow through a circuit, the fuse would blow up. Similarly, excess psychological arousal is separated and placed in the unconscious. The unconscious gathers “experiences that cannot be tolerated,” both from the external and the internal worlds. For example, an external-world event might be the arrival of a sibling, which takes away the exclusive attention of the mother, while an internal-world event could be intense jealousy and hostility, which in themselves constitute unbearable arousal, especially in the absence of emotional care. To protect the psyche, these arousals are deposited in the unconscious. However, they continually attempt to reach consciousness – through symptoms, dreams, or repetitive behavior. In this way, the unconscious influences and causes us to sometimes make choices we do not fully understand. This can lead to difficulties in personal or professional life, challenges in forming and maintainingrelationships, unpleasant emotional states, or mental disorders. Psychoanalytic psychotherapy is one of the most effective methods for uncovering what lies in the unconscious. The therapeutic relationship also emphasizes building a trusting, secure bond, which becomes a foundation for exploring one’s self with the assistance of a therapist.
In psychoanalytic psychotherapy, attention is also focused on the phenomenon of transference. Transference is the process by which we project past experiences onto current relationships. It occurs in interpersonal relationships, including the therapeutic relationship, and can be used to explore the inner world. For example, if parents were strict and critical, that experience may be “transferred” onto the therapist, who may then be perceived as strict and critical. Moments will arise in therapy when old feelings seeking expression may cause us to feel criticized or abandoned by the therapist. This allows us to become aware of our mental models of the world, of other people, or how, due to past experiences, we remain apprehensive toward life and our own emotions—emotions for which, in the absence of emotional care, we have not developed a tolerance. Aspects of ourselves that were not introduced or “tamed” in childhood can also be disconnected and projected onto others. This is a natural self-protective mechanism against what is too difficult, but analytic therapy helps reintegrate these disowned parts.
The most effective way to introduce beneficial changes in the psyche is through relational, emotionally focused psychotherapy. Why do we need another person to truly understand ourselves? The answer is simple: as human beings, we are “programmed” in such a way that to think our most troubling thoughts and feel our most painful emotions, we need another person who will not fear what we carry inside. A psychoanalytic psychotherapist is well prepared to accompany a person through strong emotions such as fear, despair, jealousy, helplessness, or anger. They will not judge these feelings, but will help experience and understand them, thus helping the individual come to terms with their inner world.
Mental health does not mean freedom of problems or emotions, but the ability to maintain calm, thoughtfulness, and understanding in the face of problems and difficult feelings that we encounter in life.Typically, several years of therapy are needed to build a wise observing ego, akin to an emotionally competent parent who remains present in the face of problems, pain, chaos, or helplessness.
Prepared by: Joanna Chmarzyńska-Golińska
Translation: Michał Knapiński