2024 Author: Harry Day | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 15:43
We very often hear in our life about psychoanalysis, psychoanalysts and psychoanalytic therapy. But few people imagine what it really is. For those who have been in psychoanalytic therapy (or are in the final stages of it), everything is quite easy. But for those who have never encountered psychoanalysis or are just beginning to undergo a personal analysis, everything is vague and little is clear. Let's start with theory before moving on to practical examples.
Definition of psychoanalysis. Psychoanalysis is a psychological theory developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by the Austrian scientist Sigmund Freud, as well as an extremely influential method of treating mental disorders based on this theory. Psychoanalysis was expanded, criticized and developed in various directions, mainly by former colleagues of Freud, such as Alfred Adler and C. G. Jung, and later by neo-Freudians, such as Erich Fromm, Karen Horney, Harry Stack Sullivan, Jacques Lacan, and others. Basic principles of psychoanalysis are as follows: human behavior, experience and knowledge are largely determined by internal and irrational drives; these drives are predominantly unconscious; attempts to become aware of these drives lead to psychological resistance in the form of defense mechanisms; in addition to the personality structure, individual development is determined by the events of early childhood; conflicts between conscious perception of reality and unconscious (repressed) material can lead to psycho-emotional disorders, such as neurosis, neurotic traits, fear, depression, and so on; liberation from the influence of unconscious material can be achieved through its awareness (for example, with appropriate professional support).
This is just a theory that is clearly understandable only to a person closely familiar with psychoanalysis, or working in the psychoanalytic field. There is also a very important note. Understanding and becoming aware of repressed memories is only the first step. Next comes the understanding and living of those repressed feelings that have arisen in a traumatic situation. Living the feelings in a new life situation and in a therapeutic situation gives a new experience and the opportunity to act in a new way. Psychoanalytic therapy affects not only the person himself, but also his loved ones. Some will think that psychotherapy is not helping you. Someone will say: “You yourself can handle everything! Why would you waste time and money on this? It's always to talk about the anxiety that concerns your already accomplished and gnawing changes. These changes can surprise and displease your loved ones and friends. Sometimes, when a person really gets better, there is a person for whom these changes are not acceptable and he cannot accept them because suffering and problems were beneficial to him for various reasons.
Everything written above may be understandable in theory, but how does it happen in practice? Let me give you a practical example.
The young girl addressed the fact that there was too much chaos in her life. Chaos was visible in everything. There was no clear definition in education, she changed educational institutions and the profile of her future profession several times. There was also no stable work. Personal life was also not constant. The root of the problem lay in the fact that she had lived her entire life with her mother with schizophrenia. And the chaos that took place in her childhood was transferred to her conscious life. It was very difficult for her to get new experience in therapy and follow the rules, come on time and on the appointed day. This was due to the fact that any appearance of stability threatened to destroy the inner representation of the beloved mother, and this was scary. Many negative and positive feelings arose during the therapy. Living and working through them again, making them understandable and conscious, she was able to form a real idea of her mother. Yes, her life did not become beautiful and devoid of problems in an instant. But now she could already choose other people for communication, other young people for relationships, and these people did not bring chaos, but, on the contrary, added structure.
If you have any questions, you can ask me. I am ready to answer them for you.
Mikhail Ozhirinsky - psychoanalyst, group analyst.
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