Psychoanalytic Treatment

Psychoanalysis is a method for helping people with symptoms that result
from emotional conflict. Common symptoms in the modern era include
anxiety (fear that is not realistic), depression (excessive sadness that is not
due to a current loss), frequent unhealthy choices in relationships, and
trouble getting along well with peers or family members. For example, some
people may feel continuously insecure and worried about doing well in
school or work despite getting good grades or reviews. Other people may be
attracted to sexual and emotional partners who treat them poorly. Others
may experience loneliness and isolation because of fears about close relationships.
Others may sabotage their success by always changing direction before reaching their goals. Children may have tantrums beyond the age
when these are normal or be afraid of going to sleep every night or feel unhappy
with their maleness or femaleness.
The same symptom can have several different causes, an etiology Freud
termed overdetermination. For example, depression may be caused by inner
emotional constraints that prevent success, by biological vulnerability, or by
upsetting events (such as the death of a loved one), or it may result from a
combination of these. Therefore, most psychoanalysts believe in meeting with
a person several times before deciding upon the best treatment. Psychoanalysis
is not for everyone who has a symptom. Sometimes psychoanalysis is not
needed because the problems can be easily helped using other, less intensive
forms of therapy. Sometimes biological problems or early childhood experiences
leave a person too vulnerable to undertake the hard work of psychoanalysis.
When psychoanalysis is not necessary, or not the best treatment
for a particular person, a psychoanalyst may recommend psychoanalytic psychotherapy,
a treatment that is based on the same principles as psychoanalysis
but with less ambitious goals and, usually, less frequent sessions.
Psychoanalysis can treat specific emotional disorders, as described in the
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-IV-TR (rev. 4th ed.,
2000) and can also help with multiple sets of problematic symptoms, behaviors,
and personality traits (such as being too perfectionistic or rigid). Because
psychoanalysis affects the whole person rather than just treating symptoms,
it has the potential to promote personal growth and development. For
adults, this can mean better relationships or marriages, jobs that feel more
satisfying, or the ability to enjoy free time when this was difficult before.
Children may do better in school after fears about competition and success
diminish, or they may have more friends and get along better with parents
after they begin to feel better about themselves.
Because psychoanalysis is a very individual treatment, the best way to determine
whether it would be beneficial for an individual is through consulting
an experienced psychoanalyst. In general, people who benefit from psychoanalysis
have some emotional sturdiness. They tend to be capable of
understanding themselves and learning how to help themselves. Usually,
they have had important accomplishments in one or more areas of their life
before seeking psychoanalytic treatment. Often, they have tried other forms
of treatment that may have been helpful but have not been sufficient to deal
with all their difficulties. Sometimes they are people who work with others
(therapists, rabbis, teachers) whose emotions have been interfering with
their ability to do their jobs as well as possible. Psychoanalysts understand
such problems in the context of each individual’s strengths, vulnerabilities,
and life situation. 640