What Is Stress? Psychoanalytic Approach

2024 Author: Harry Day | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 15:43

What is stress?

psychoanalytic approach

In my psychotherapy group on Effective Stress Management, I have combined approaches that are in different psychotherapeutic directions, and, in my opinion, are critical of each other. This synthesis allows you to work at different levels of the psyche. On the conscious and unconscious.

In her book "Running with Wolves" K. Estes writes that the auditory nerve is divided into three or more branches. Ancient anatomists assumed that this was given to a person in order to hear and then be aware at different levels. One branch exists in order to perceive everyday conversations, the second - scientific knowledge and art, and the third in order to hear your soul. More precisely, for the soul to hear instructions and acquire knowledge. The task of analytic therapy is to become aware of your unconscious motives underlying symptom gratification.

I will now explain how this relates to stress and its effective management. I really hope that the information will be accessible and understandable to every reader.

To begin with, I propose to consider the concept stress, how natural tension that occurs when homeostasis is disturbed … Now about homeostasis. In this psychological context, we will consider homeostasis concept how a sense of comfort and a holistic image of oneself, including a subjective picture of the world, beliefs, attitudes. That is, this is our normal calm state. When a conflict arises, our self-image is threatened with destruction. For example, the interlocutor may question our beliefs with their criticism. I am not giving here an example of physical impact, we are considering the psychological aspect. (I want to remind you that our body at the biochemical level reacts almost the same to physical and mental danger).

If the personality fails to preserve the image of himself, that is, how he presents himself, then we will deal with mental trauma. Trauma occurs when all mental defenses, rational and irrational, are destroyed, and a person feels hopeless.

So, when homeostasis is disturbed, we feel discomfort. The psychological state is uncomfortable, physically it can be hot or cold. Sweating increases, physical weakness may occur, squeezing sensations in the solar plexus, it is difficult to sit still. These are the symptoms of stress. A deficiency arises, which leads to a tense state.

Our psyche is designed in such a way that it will make up for this deficit in any way

The symptom is unconscious deficiency compensation. In this case, the security deficit. (Although, in my opinion, any deficiency: care, attention, peace, level of control, etc. will be associated with safety, how the psyche will perceive any deficiency at a deep level. Everything that we do not have an unconscious motive to find safety and comfort. But this is my subjective opinion, maybe it will change someday).

The symptom may appear as:

- addiction (alcoholic, drug, gambling);

- anxiety disorders;

- obsessive - compulsive disorders (obsessive actions, movements);

- overprotective;

- psychosomatic diseases.

On an external level, we can deal with a real conflict situation between two adults. At the second, scientific level, having the necessary knowledge, we rationalize, explain to ourselves what is happening to us now. At the third, mental level, we are dealing with a conflict between our superego (controlling, moralizing internal object of the psyche) and the fact that Z. Freud called "Id", the area of the unconscious, filled with desires, instincts, pure emotions. This conflict can be compared to the conflict between a strict parent and a reckless child. The child depends on the parent and therefore he will have to obey his requirements, but he will still find a way, secretly from the parent, to eat the coveted forbidden candy. Even to the detriment of your health.

Any action is preceded by desire … When a desire arises, tension arises, which requires discharge. The desire can manifest itself both at a simple level, for example, to eat something, and at the level of a mission, the meaning of life - to take place in a particular social role.

If the desire is not immediately satisfied, we are frustrated.… A very uncomfortable state, which is accompanied by irritation, turning into anger, even rage. With prolonged stress, i.e. stress, we feel anxiety, fear. The voltage needs to be discharged. Discharge is a kind of stress response. The stress response can take the form of a symptom or be expressed directly. Someone can show anger in the external environment, someone directs it inward, leading a destructive lifestyle for their personality. Someone panics, runs away from stress. Sometimes, in the literal sense, he runs away, leaves the place or leaves communication. Or he falls into a stupor when there is not a single thought in his head - it is impossible to concentrate, remember something, answer, react. All this is a reaction of the psyche to stress.

The goal of psychotherapeutic work in both group and individual therapy is to:

- learn to manage your natural aggressiondirecting it towards achieving goals (i.e., satisfying desires);

- strengthen your ego, which in the structure of personality in psychoanalytic theory is represented between the Superego (control, criticism) and Id (desires, emotions);

- a strong ego will allow withstand natural stress, which arises and will arise as long as we live, communicate, grow. In other words, they will not be able to "push through" you.

- as a result - you can satisfy your desires directly without using the symptom and dysfunctional patterns of behavior.

In a group, these processes occur faster, but sometimes a person needs to start with individual therapy, and then go to the group. Therefore, before working in a psychotherapeutic group, we conduct an interview, where we discuss the possibilities and tasks that we want to solve in cooperation.

In psychodynamic therapy, we view the personality as a dynamic, constantly changing structure. Homeostasis is constantly disrupted and recreated. And this will be a different "norm". It will be a slightly different person.

I remember parable about the costume.

One fine gentleman, very handsome and respectable, decided to sew a suit for himself. He went to the tailor and he, having measured it, promised that the suit would be ready in a week. The gentleman came a week later, put on a ready-made suit and looked at himself in the mirror. In the mirror, he saw that one shoulder on the suit was higher than the other, one leg was shorter than the other, and the length of the sleeves was also different. The tailor said that it’s okay, I’ll help you. And he suggested that the gentleman lower one shoulder, clamp one lapel with his chin and tuck one leg a little. Here, look, now the suit is even and correct. The whole crooked gentleman could not disagree with this. Looking at the reflection in the mirror, he saw a symmetrical suit. He paid the tailor and went outside, trying to twist his body so as to maintain the symmetry of the suit. Passers-by turned around, and he could hear them whispering to each other: "What a beautiful suit on such a crippled gentleman!"

This parable, in my opinion, most accurately reflects what a symptom does to a person.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy is used in our classes as concrete, real-life instructions for solving problems that have arisen. This is a kind of pill so much desired by many patients, which helps to help cope with stress here and now. But it also needs to be taken regularly:).

For example, what to do when stressed:

- admit discomfort in the soul and body;

- name for yourself that feeling, emotion that you are experiencing and scan your body for tightness, tension, discomfort;

- determine the desire that needs satisfaction by asking yourself the question: What do I want now? This can be a desire to drink, warm up, eat, go outside, etc.

- do for yourself what you want, guided by the principle of reality, of course. Those. what can I do for myself now. What can i do now with this situation.

If this is a desire to hit someone, then it is better to say about it: “I am angry. I'm annoyed. It will be a little easier, I know from myself:).

If this is a strong anxiety, then deep abdominal breathing, in which the exhalation is twice as long as the inhalation, helps. Through breathing, we regulate the actions of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. By inhibiting the action of the sympathetic, we enhance the action of the parasympathetic. (As in a car, the gas and brake pedals. Two pedals do not work at once). The biochemical composition of the blood changes and, thus, we can influence our emotional background.

In the Effective Stress Management psychotherapy group, participants first experience habitual tension in contact with others. And some earlier, some later, in real time in the group space, change their dysfunctional patterns to constructive communication. This process is facilitated by the group leader and secure feedback from other members.

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