What is Psychoanalysis?

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Psychoanalysis, founded by Neurologist Sigmund Freud, is the hallmark of psychotherapy. Freud believed that individuals have levels of consciousness and mental health disorders come from the unconscious mind, which stores primal energy and sexual urges.

Psychoanalysis’s goal is to make the unconscious conscious so people can better understand their whole self. Because the unconscious guards repressed emotions and memories, people can be hesitant to bring them forward. Freud referred to these defense mechanisms as ways people avoid confronting their unconscious thoughts.

Psychoanalysis uses the Rorschach inkblot test, free association, and dream analysis.

Rorschach inkblot tests are ambiguous images that have no meaning. Psychoanalysts ask a person to explain what they see within the image and then interpret their unconscious material from there.

Free association is when a psychoanalyst says a word or phrase, and then the person is encouraged to speak about whatever first comes to mind. Free association aims to discover parts of repressed memories and incorporate them into the conscious mind.

Dream analysis asks people to explain their dreams. Then, the psychoanalyst makes interpretations, or guesses, about the dream’s latent content. Latent content refers to what the dream means instead of the dream’s manifest content, which is what happened during the dream.

Psychoanalysis is an intensive form of therapy that requires years of work. It can be helpful for people experiencing anxiety or depression or for people who want to incorporate unconscious material into their consciousness.

Therapists Who Specialize in Using Psychoanalysis

I work with many clients from many different backgrounds and cultures. My priority and number one goal is to enhance their lives and over all psychological functioning and wellbeing. I am not here to fix you, as you are not broken. My main goal is to help every single client to actualize and become the best version of themselves. I approach each client as an individual, with respect, dignity, a...
Everyone’s experiences and paths are unique. Every journey is its own struggle. My main goal is to connect with my clients as a person, help them feel understood and support them through their journey. I strive to use the therapeutic techniques most compatible with the client’s characteristics and needs. I have extensive theoretical training and practical experience in psychoanalysis,...
Are you looking for greater joy and satisfaction in your personal relationships and professional achievements? I am a psychotherapist with over 40 years of experience. I am a graduate of The Wurzweiler School of Social Work, Yeshiva University. I am a graduate of the Washington Square Institute for Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis, The Group Therapy Training Program of the Post Graduate Center ...

Tim Sawyier

Chicago

Illinois

I am happy to help with referrals at this time. Psychotherapy is a process for relieving emotional distress by restoring and cultivating its participants' inborn capacities for thought and growth. Everyone engages with the world in idiosyncratic ways developed over the course of his or her path through life, and emotional suffering results when such adaptive measures go awry or no longer serve...
Psychotherapy helps to empower and meet specific goals set by the client; where hope is achievable. I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor who has treated children, adolescents and adults with various mental and behavioral issues such as ADHD, Depression, Anxiety and Relationship complications. I provide a safe place where you can speak freely about your life’s experiences. I am curious for yo...
Life is complex. Painful roadblocks can stand in the way of meaningful relationships, enjoyment of work and play, and the pleasure of fully being oneself. Self-understanding provides the opportunity to work through these obstacles. Psychodynamic psychotherapy and psychoanalysis are forms of talk therapy in which patient and therapist work together to understand and sort out the roadblocks, and ...

Neha Reddy

New York

New York

I work with individuals and couples who are seeking to gain a better understanding of themselves in order to lead happier and more productive lives. I work well with people experiencing chronic stress, anxiety, depression, relationship and interpersonal issues, are going through transitions in their lives and trauma. While psychotherapy and psychoanalysis allow individuals to more deeply explor...

Kevin Creamer

New York

New York

If you're feeling overwhelmed by your life, you are not alone. Perhaps you are coming to terms with past traumatic events or you fight to manage overwhelming emotions - depression or anxiety. You may desire to feel truly seen within a relationship - or you take better care of others than yourself. Maybe you are blocked creatively or coping with LGBTQ specific issues. It may be hard just to face...
I work with people with a variety of life experiences: survivors of trauma and abuse, depression, anxiety, parenting needs and coping with life changes (relationship stress, career changes, relocation, parenting) are just a few. I have experience working with individuals, siblings and families needing support. My approach to therapy is client-centered, because you are the master of your...
I offer individual therapy to adults of all ages and specialize in treating anxiety, mood disorders (e.g., depression) and relational concerns. Having worked in various settings including outpatient programs, inpatient and partial hospital programs, and schools, I work with clients dealing with a wide variety of concerns. Such concerns include trauma, family dynamics, parenting, major life...

Lisa L Ruesch

New York

New York

As a licensed clinical social worker who practices psychotherapy with warmth and curiosity, I help clients reflect, heal, build on their strengths, and enact positive change. I work collaboratively with clients in an open, safe environment that allows them to give voice to and explore their many parts. Over the course of treatment, they often discover new ways of relating to others and to...
I work with a wide range of people who are experiencing difficulties with various aspects of their lives, including emotional struggles (extreme moods, sadness and grief, discouragement, anxiety), relationship problems (with partners, relatives, friends, society at large), difficulties letting go of negative past experiences or patterns, and difficulties identifying or realizing desires for the...

Cyrus Saint Amand Poliakoff

Brooklyn

New York

The entry into psychoanalysis is always singular. At times it is driven by crisis, an urgent question, or a moment of perplexity in one’s life. Why bring a symptom to the analytic process? This is a question that must be explored according to the particular constellation of words, memories, fantasies, fears, and traumas that constitute our experience. Analysis today can take many forms, it...
Are you searching for inner peace, growth, healing and self-understanding? Seeking a safe place where you can have a caring companion to help you explore who you really are? Tools to assist you with daily life struggles, sorrows and joys? I offer Jungian psychoanalysis. Serving people of all ages. Modalities: Pschotherapy for Individuals, Couples, Conjoint. Assist with a range of problems:...