Psychoanalytical Therapeutic Process
Psychoanalytical Therapeutic Process
Psychoanalysis uses free association and dream analysis to reconstruct the personality. Free association is the verbalization of thoughts as they occur without any conscious screening or censorship. Of course, there is always unconscious censorship of thoughts and impulses that threaten the ego. The psychoanalysis searches for patterns in the areas that are unconsciously avoided. Conflictual areas that the patients does not discuss or recognize are identified as resistances. Analysis of the patient’s dreams can provide addition insight into the nature of the resistances, since dreams symbolically communicate areas of intrapsychic conflict.
The therapist helps the patient recognize intrapsychic conflicts by using interpretation. Interpretation involves explaining to the patient the meaning of dream symbolism and the significance of the issues that are discussed or avoided. However, the process is complicated by transference, which occurs when the patient develops strong positive or negative feelings toward the analyst. These feelings are unrelated to the analyst’s current behavior or characteristics; they represent the patient’s past response to a significant other, usually a parent. Strong positive transference causes the patient to want to please the therapist and to accept the therapist’s interpretations of the patient’s behavior, strong negative transference may impede the progress of the therapy as the patient, can also interfere with therapy if the analyst is unaware of it or unable to deal with it.
Since the therapist can temporarily replace the significant other of the patient’s early life experience, previously unresolved conflicts can be brought into the therapeutic situation. These conflicts can be worked throught to a healthier resolution. This releases previously invested libido for mature adult functioning. Psychoanalytic therapy is usually long term. The patient is often seen five times a week for several years. This approach is therefore time consuming and expensive.
Psychoanalysis uses free association and dream analysis to reconstruct the personality. Free association is the verbalization of thoughts as they occur without any conscious screening or censorship. Of course, there is always unconscious censorship of thoughts and impulses that threaten the ego. The psychoanalysis searches for patterns in the areas that are unconsciously avoided. Conflictual areas that the patients does not discuss or recognize are identified as resistances. Analysis of the patient’s dreams can provide addition insight into the nature of the resistances, since dreams symbolically communicate areas of intrapsychic conflict.
The therapist helps the patient recognize intrapsychic conflicts by using interpretation. Interpretation involves explaining to the patient the meaning of dream symbolism and the significance of the issues that are discussed or avoided. However, the process is complicated by transference, which occurs when the patient develops strong positive or negative feelings toward the analyst. These feelings are unrelated to the analyst’s current behavior or characteristics; they represent the patient’s past response to a significant other, usually a parent. Strong positive transference causes the patient to want to please the therapist and to accept the therapist’s interpretations of the patient’s behavior, strong negative transference may impede the progress of the therapy as the patient, can also interfere with therapy if the analyst is unaware of it or unable to deal with it.
Since the therapist can temporarily replace the significant other of the patient’s early life experience, previously unresolved conflicts can be brought into the therapeutic situation. These conflicts can be worked throught to a healthier resolution. This releases previously invested libido for mature adult functioning. Psychoanalytic therapy is usually long term. The patient is often seen five times a week for several years. This approach is therefore time consuming and expensive.
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