FAQ
FAQ
Psychoanalysis is a theory of the human mind and a therapeutic practice. It was founded by Sigmund Freud between 1885 and 1939 and continues to be developed by psychoanalysts around the world. Psychoanalysis has four main areas of application:
1) as a theory of how the mind works
2) as a treatment method for psychic problems
3) as a research method, and
4) as a way of looking at cultural and social phenomena such as literature, art, cinema, performances, politics and groups
Psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic psychotherapy are for those who feel trapped in recurrent psychological problems that impede their potential for experiencing happiness with their partners, family and friends as well as success and satisfaction in their work and normal tasks of daily living.
Anxiety, inhibitions, and depression are often signs of inner conflict. These lead to difficulties in relationships and, when left untreated, can have a considerable impact on personal and professional choices. The roots of these problems often go deeper than awareness can reach, which is why they cannot be resolved without psychotherapy.
It is with the help of a trained analyst that the patient can obtain new knowledge (insights) about the unconscious parts of these disorders. Talking with a psychoanalyst in a safe atmosphere will lead the patient to become increasingly aware of previously unknown parts of his inner world (thoughts and feelings, memories and dreams), thereby alleviating psychic pain, promoting personality development and offering a self-awareness that will strengthen the patient's confidence to pursue their goals in life. These positive effects of psychoanalysis are expected to last and lead to new developments even after the analysis is over.
Freud, working with hysterical patients, understood that the symptoms from which they suffered concretely represented a meaning that was simultaneously hidden and revealed. In the course of time he learned that all neurotic symptoms were messengers carrying - albeit unconsciously - repressed psychic contents. This led him to develop his "talking cure", which revolutionized the interaction between patient and therapist. Freud saw his patients six times a week, listening and responding to what they told him as they lay on a couch. Invited to speak whatever was on their minds, patients offered Freud free associations that took them back to repressed childhood experiences, desires and fantasies that had resulted in unconscious conflicts; once brought to awareness, these conflicts could be analyzed and the symptoms then dissolved. This procedure became not only a potent method of treatment, but also an efficient tool for the study of the human psyche, leading to the development of an increasingly sophisticated psychoanalytic theory of how the mind works and, in recent years, to joint comparative studies with the new field of neuropsychoanalysis
Psychic life goes beyond what we are conscious of, also beyond what is preconscious in the sense of what we can become aware of insofar as we can think it. An important part of our mind is unconscious, and this part is accessible only with psychoanalysis.
They are an amalgamation of fantasy and reality; they are characterized by passionate desires, untamed impulses, and childish anxieties. For example, hunger stimulates a desire to swallow everything, as well as a fear of being swallowed by others; the desire to be in control and independent is linked to the fear of being manipulated or abandoned; separating from an important caregiver can lead to remaining unprotected, helpless and alone; loving one parent can risk losing the love of the other. Thus, initial desires and fears result in conflicts which, to the extent that they cannot be resolved, are repressed and become unconscious.
Freud recognized that the progressive maturation of bodily functions centered on the erogenous zones (mouth, anus and genitals) occurs along with pleasures and fears experienced in the relationship with caring objects, and these structure the development of the child's mind.
It is the core complex of all neuroses. A child at the age of four to six becomes aware of the sexual nature of his parents' relationship, from which he is excluded. Feelings of jealousy and rivalry arise that have to be resolved, along with questions of who is a man and who is a woman, who can love and marry whom, how babies are made and born, and what a child can and cannot do, compared to an adult. Solving these challenging questions will shape the character of the adult mind and the Superego (see below under The Ego, the Id and the Superego)
It is the force that keeps unconscious dangerous fantasies related to unresolved parts of childhood conflicts.
Often they express the fulfillment of childhood sexual desires or fantasies. Since they appear in disguise (as absurd, strange or incoherent scenes) they require analysis to reveal their unconscious meanings. Freud called the interpretation of dreams the royal road to the unconscious.
It is the ubiquitous tendency of the human mind to see and identify new situations within the framework of early experiences. In psychoanalysis, transference occurs when a patient sees the analyst as a parental figure, with whom he can re-experience major childhood conflicts or traumas as if within the original parent-child relationship.
Describes the emergence of thoughts, feelings and fantasies when they are not inhibited by the constraints of fear, guilt and shame (see below in The Core of the Psychoanalytic Method and the Setting)
- The Ego is the main seat of consciousness, the mind's agent that exerts repressions and integrates and consolidates various impulses and tendencies before they are put into action.
- The Id is the unconscious part of the mind, the place of repressed and unknowable memory traces of the initial mind.
- The Superego is the guide and conscience of the mind, a keeper of prohibitions to adhere to, and ideals to pursue
Psychoanalysis is the talking cure, based on the method of free association. In its cardinal rule the patient is invited to say anything that comes to mind, without restrictions such as considerations of context, decency, feelings of shame or guilt, and other objections. By adhering to this rule, the patient's thought processes will make surprising connections, reveal consciously unavailable connections with desires and defenses, and lead to the unconscious roots of hitherto unresolved conflicts that shape transference situations. Listening to these associations, analysts will engage in a similar mental process called free-floating attention, whereby they will follow the patient's communications as well as perceive - sometimes as if in a daydream - their own associations that will emerge in the countertransference. The integration of these various kinds of information is mostly an internal job for the analyst to shape a view of transference-countertransference situations that finally coalesce into an emergent gestalt (an unconscious fantasy) that can be experienced by both analyst and patient. With the help of the analyst's interventions - often transferential interpretations of what transpires in the here and now of the session - a new understanding of the patient's suffering will emerge. The repeated application of these new insights to many similar situations in which the same type of conflict arises is the process of working through, which makes the patient increasingly able to recognize the thought processes that drive his conflicts. Resolving these conflicts and putting them into perspective, or at rest, will free the patient's mind of old inhibitions and open space for new choices.
The method described above is best applied in the classic setting: the patient is lying comfortably on the couch, saying whatever comes to mind, without being distracted by seeing the analyst, who is usually sitting behind the couch. This allows both partners in the analytic undertaking to fully listen and reflect on what transpires in the session: the patient will feel immersed in his inner world, revive memories, revisit important experiences, talk about dreams and create fantasies, all of which, being part of the analytic journey, it will shed new light on the life, history and elaborations of the patient's mind. The analysis session typically lasts 45 to 50 minutes. With the aim of continually deepening the analytic process, psychoanalysis sessions preferably take place on three, four or five days a week. A lower frequency of weekly sessions or the use of an armchair instead of a couch may sometimes be necessary. All agreements regarding the setting (including times, session fee and cancellation policy) will be contracted by both patient and analyst and will have to be renegotiated if changes are necessary. The duration of an analysis is difficult to predict; an average of three to five years can be expected, although any individual case may need more or less time for closure. Patient and analyst are, however, free to decide to interrupt or end the analysis at any time.
Psychoanalysis training is unique because it does not follow a conventional academic format. It involves three main pillars:
1. Personal analysis
Every psychoanalyst in training must undergo his or her own analysis. This is essential to understand one's own unconscious processes and be prepared to deal with those of patients.
2. Theoretical study
In-depth study of the works of Freud and other important authors (such as Lacan, Winnicott, Melanie Klein, Jung, among others) is central. Training institutions structure seminars and courses on psychoanalytic concepts and techniques.
3. Clinical supervision
During training, students see patients under the supervision of an experienced psychoanalyst. This monitoring helps to apply theoretical concepts in clinical practice in an ethical and effective manner.
The duration of training varies between 4 and 8 years, depending on the school and the approach followed. Furthermore, psychoanalysis is not regulated by a single body in Brazil, which allows people from different areas to enter this training. A commitment to continuous learning and personal analysis often extends throughout a career.