About Psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis is a method of treatment that offers a way of understanding ourselves, our relationships and how we conduct ourselves in the world. Since its inception, psychoanlaysis has captured the imagination of great thinkers and has had an enduring influence on modern society and culture.
Originally called the talking cure, psychoanalysis is the foundation of all the talk therapies. The theories on which analysis is based provide a framework for understanding and helping individuals with a wide variety of difficulties.
Psychoanalysis helps people learn how they become who they are and why they feel and do the things they do, paving the way towards the emotional freedom necessary to make substantive, lasting changes. It helps people recognize and manage their strengths and weaknesses, accept themselves and realize their fullest potential.*
Analysts help us to uncover our life's narrative. Destructive aspects of the stories we tell ourselves affect our present lives. By understanding our own stories, and exploring the ways in which they limit us, we can change the way we see ourselves and the world.
The value of psychoanalytic treatment lies in our long-term, consistent relationship with someone (the analyst) who is working to understand us, who accepts us for who we are, and who helps us with our struggles.
Psychoanalytic Traditions and Contributions
Sigmund Freud was the father of psychoanalysis. Many of his insights into the human mind, which seemed so revolutionary at the turn of the 20th century, are now widely accepted.
Freud saw that those who sought to change themselves encountered powerful obstacles in the dark and invisible forces of human nature. But he also showed us that psychological understanding and empathic curiosity about ourselves could enlarge the realm of reason and responsibility, and thereby alleviate individual suffering.
Psychoanalysis has helped countless people around the world to heal, change and grow. While psychoanalysis began as a tool for relieving emotional suffering, it is also a method for learning about the mind as well as a theory of human development.
People from all walks of life, including business leaders, healthcare professionals, teachers and parents, children and adolescents, have found psychoanalysis to be most helpful.
Psychoanalysis provides insight into a range of human activity, both in the consulting room and in the world at large. In so doing, psychoanalysis continues to have a profound impact on many aspects of contemporary culture.
From American Psychoanalytic Association
From about psychoanalysis
Copyright 2004