Psychoanalysis

Psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic therapy are related but distinct approaches within the field of psychology, both based on the foundational principles developed by Sigmund Freud.  The psychoanalytic approach explores the unconscious mind, childhood experiences, and the dynamic interplay between conscious and unconscious processes. It is primarily concerned with understanding how unconscious conflicts and unresolved issues can influence human behavior, thoughts, and emotions.

“In good therapy, we speak in the plainest possible English.”

“You can do psychoanalytic therapy once a week… psychoanalysis is not a piece of furniture.” – Jonathan Shedler (Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist)

Psychoanalysis is a more rigorous and intensive form of therapy aimed at deep, long-term psychological exploration, while psychoanalytic therapy offers a more flexible and often shorter-term approach, maintaining core psychoanalytic principles but adapting them to meet practical therapeutic goals. It also takes into account how the external world can impact the unconscious mind including: societal, institutional and systemic systems that impact the psyche.