Psychodynamic Therapy

Psychodynamic therapy is a kind of talk therapy (psychotherapy) where you’ll explore your past thoughts, feelings and memories. The goal is to see how these affect your life and personality today.

During therapy, you work on bringing hidden or unconscious thoughts into your awareness. This means you start to understand things about yourself that you didn’t notice before.

The main goal is to help you learn more about who you are and why you act the way you do. This can help you feel better about yourself and improve how you connect with others. It can also help you manage underlying mental health conditions.

What conditions does psychodynamic therapy manage?

This is an effective treatment for many mental health conditions, including but not limited to the following:

• Anxiety
• Attachment disorders
• Coping with a chronic illness
• Depression
• Eating disorders
• Personality disorders
• Somatic symptom disorder
• Trauma

It may be used in addition to medications or other types of treatments. It can help anyone at any age, from children to adults.

Goals of psychodynamic therapy

Before you start therapy, you and your therapist will talk about your personal goals. But in general, the goals of this therapy are:

• Learn more about your thoughts and feelings
• Find out what’s causing stress
• Understand yourself better
• Change how you think
• Make long-lasting emotional changes
• Stop harmful habits or behaviors
• Improve self-esteem
• Strengthen relationships with others

What happens during psychodynamic therapy?

In therapy, you’ll have open-ended talks with your therapist. You can say whatever comes to your mind. Your therapist listens carefully. They may guide you to explore certain feelings or events.

During these sessions, your therapist will help you:

• Work through bad experiences: By facing and talking about painful or difficult past events, you can start to heal and stop them from affecting your current life.
• Express and process emotions: Therapy encourages you to feel and talk about emotions you might have ignored or hidden. This can lead to relief and better emotional health.
• Learn more about yourself: Over time, you gain deeper insight into why you think, feel and act the way you do.

Psychodynamic therapy techniques

There are different techniques that you and your therapist will use during each session. You might not hear their names or notice them happening. But they may be part of your work together:

• Free association: You can share anything, including thoughts, feelings or memories. This helps you uncover hidden (unconscious) thoughts or feelings that affect your behavior.
• Dream analysis: You may talk about your dreams to find hidden feelings, fears or wishes. Dreams can show what’s going on deep in your mind, even if you don’t realize it when you’re awake.
• Transference and countertransference: You might start to have strong feelings toward your therapist. They’re really about other important people in your life (transference). Your therapist also pays attention to their own feelings toward you (countertransference). Talking about these helps you understand your relationship patterns and emotions better.
• Defense mechanism identification: Your mind tries to protect you from uncomfortable feelings (like denial or avoiding emotions). Recognizing these helps you face feelings in a healthier way.
• Pattern detection: Your therapist helps you notice repeating behaviors or patterns, especially ones that might be unhealthy.
• Past and present connection: You’ll explore how early events, like childhood experiences or relationships, shape who you are today and how you relate to others.

How successful is psychodynamic therapy?

Studies show that psychodynamic therapy can help with many mental health conditions, especially depression and personality disorders. This therapy doesn’t stop symptoms quickly. Instead, it helps you understand deep feelings and solve problems in your life and relationships.

This type of therapy may take longer to get results. But the changes you make can last a long time.

Some mental health conditions might work better with other treatments, like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or a mix of therapy and medications. Your provider will help you choose the best plan so you can see the most success.

Benefits of psychodynamic therapy

Psychodynamic therapy can have many benefits, like helping you:

• Reduce symptoms of certain mental health conditions (with other treatments)
• Build healthier relationships
• Understand yourself better so you can grow emotionally

This type of therapy is known to have long-lasting effects, even after you finish seeing your therapist. The insight you gain in each session can change how you see yourself. This may lead to healthier thoughts and behaviors in the future.

Risks of psychodynamic therapy

Therapy takes time and effort. Even though it’s a safe treatment, it can make you feel uncomfortable, upset or vulnerable. You might talk about feelings or events that you’ve hidden or tried to forget. It isn’t easy to face them.

Remember, therapy is a safe place. No one will judge you. It’s private and confidential. Your therapist will help you reach your goals. They won’t make you talk about anything unless you feel ready. And when you’re ready, they’ll support you through it.

It’s important to work with a therapist you trust. If you don’t feel comfortable sharing your feelings, it’s OK to find a different therapist. Your therapist won’t be upset if you choose someone else. They want you to get the help that works best for you.

At the same time, it’s important to learn to use the skills you gain in therapy on your own. There’s a risk of becoming too dependent on your therapist. This means you might rely on them too much instead of finding new ways to handle problems by yourself. Your therapist will help you build confidence so you can manage tough situations on your own in the future.

How long do I need psychodynamic therapy?

Psychodynamic therapy can be short term or long term. Most people meet with their therapist once or twice a week. Each session lasts about an hour. You might continue therapy for a few months or even several years.

There’s no set amount of time that works for everyone. How long you stay in therapy depends on your needs and goals.

How does psychodynamic psychology explain behavior?

Psychologists who studied psychodynamic theories said that thoughts, feelings and actions today are shaped by things you don’t actively think about. These are unconscious thoughts. They come from experiences and relationships you had when you were younger. Sometimes, you push feelings or memories away because they’re too hard to face. But they still affect how you act now.

This idea helps explain why you might repeat certain behaviors or have unexpected, strong emotions. In therapy, talking about these hidden thoughts and past experiences helps you understand yourself better and make healthier choices.