Psychodynamic Therapy

What Is Psychodynamic Therapy?

Psychodynamic therapy is a type of talking therapy where individuals explore how unconscious thoughts, emotions, and memories affect their current behavior. Sometimes by uncovering these hidden issues, clients may develop self-awareness and, thus, healthier coping strategies.

Rooted in psychoanalytic theory, it puts much emphasis on the need for exploration of past experiences and how these may influence any current behavior. It draws largely from traditional psychoanalysis, rendering it more accessible to those hoping for better states of mental and emotional well-being.

At Nuview, we focus on helping individuals address the root causes of emotional struggles, enabling them to build lasting positive life changes.

How Does Psychodynamic Therapy Work?

Psychodynamic therapy encourages clients to explore unconscious feelings, uncover unresolved conflicts, and recognize self-defeating patterns. These unconscious feelings can be worked through with a therapist, enabling the processing of feelings insight and creating healthier thought patterns.

While psychodynamic therapy differs from the original forms of psychoanalytic treatments, wherein the therapist has a more authoritative role, the psychodynamic therapist is a guide. Often, sessions relate the history of the clients to understand the present while encouraging them to express their thoughts and feelings freely.

Key principles of psychodynamic therapy include:

• Unconscious motivations can drive behaviors.
• Any past experiences shape emotions of the present and actions.
• Emotional insight can provide much-needed self-awareness into oneself.
• Improving relationships and emotional responses helps in overcoming psychological problems.

The therapist helps the client to understand their beliefs and feelings, which then provides personal growth with an emotional release.

What All Other Mental Health Disorders Are Treated In Psychodynamic Therapy?

Psychodynamic therapy is one of the most effective forms of analytic therapy for various mental health disorders. At Nuview, psychodynamic therapy can be effective for the following conditions:

• Depression: 

  It finds recurring patterns that further lead to depression.

• Anxiety Disorders: 

  Conditions include social anxiety and panic disorders with promising results for the treatment.

• Personality Disorders: 

  Structured psychodynamic therapy helps with personality disorders by assisting individuals to understand their own emotional triggers.

• Eating Disorders: 

  Evidence supports recovery in cases like anorexia nervosa.

• Chronic Pain: 

  It treats unexplained chronic pain, including abdominal pain.

• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): 

  Psychodynamic therapy elaborates on the trauma on a deeper level for the resolution of unresolved emotional wounds.

• Borderline Personality Disorder:

  Structured therapy has been shown to be beneficial for this.

• Substance Use Disorders: 

  Helps deal with the root emotional issues that may be attached to addiction.

Is Psychodynamic Therapy Effective?

Research supports the efficacy of psychodynamic therapy across several conditions. Several studies have indicated that psychodynamic therapy can be as effective as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), with benefits lasting long after therapy has ended.

One review supports psychodynamic therapy, which can be applied to various mental disorders, such as anxiety and depression. Another review establishes that psychodynamic therapy is as effective as other treatments; however, future studies are recommended in order to identify who benefits most from this type of intervention.

Improvement from psychodynamic therapy tends to continue even after treatment, providing lasting benefits.

What You Can Expect In Psychodynamic Therapy?

When starting psychodynamic therapy at Nuview, clients typically see the therapist one to three times a week. Sessions tend to be around 45 minutes long, and treatment time can range from months to over a year, given individualized client needs.

In each session, clients are encouraged to express all of their thoughts, feelings, and concerns pertinent to present experiences or even past memories. Open dialogue has proved helpful in showing the unconscious motives for the disturbance in emotions.

By working collaboratively with the therapist, the clients become aware of their patterns of emotions, hence developing better self-awareness and healthier ways of coping.