psychoanalytic psychotherapist ???

[snippy]

Hi I am new today and am on a waiting list for the above,,,,does anynone know what they do and how they work ?????? and help much appreciated,,and does it mean i am utterly insane !!!!!

[Mya]

Hi Snippy,

Welcome and nice to meet you. I am sorry but I do not have experience with this type of analyst. I just began therapy last week with a therapist but she also wants me to work with a psychiatrist. I think what you will probably be doing is talk therapy and maybe CBT (cognitive behavior therapy) which is good. There are many "fancy" names for all therapists. Is the person an MD or doctor? Psychiatrists are MD's and they are the ones that can prescribe medication. I would rather not take medication if need be so I would prefer any other type of therapist or even a psychiatrist that is more homeopathic. Believe me sweetie, you are not crazy. So many people feel this way and never get help. You are doing the right thing by speaking to a "neutral" person that can give you some perspective as to why you are feeling this way. You will meet many wonderful people on here that are walking in the same shoes. xxxooo

[jojo81182]

Hi snippy,

im currently undergoing psychotherapy, and no, it doesn't mean that you are mad!!! Its basically counselling BUT you get feedback. I've told him all about my life from start to finish and he has tried to help me understand the reasons behind why I feel the way I do.

Hope that makes it a bit clearer for you... if you have any more q's i'd be happy to answer them.

Take care

[Typer]

All therapists can work differently...psychoanalytic would mean that the therapist works in a psychoanalytic way. Originally, in the more Freudian or Jungian era, it would have meant something very different from today's ideas of psychoanalysis.

Mostly it means looking at the root cause....working with what has happened and how it has manifested in today. It means listening, trying to understand and helping you to understand and/or uncover the cause of your issues.

[ElizabethJane]

Psychoanaysis is usually performed by someone who has trained in psychotherapeutic techniques. If it is true psychoanalysis then that person will have been trained to counsel people in psychotherapy. This might be Freudian or Jungian. There are other types as well. You sit/lie down and talk and the therapist makes 'observations'. These sessions can be once a week up to seven days a week (like Woody Allen) It will last for an hour. The therapist will interpret your behaviour and relationships and you will be encouraged to 'relive' or 'act out' painful episodes in your life. Hopefully you will be able to change the outcome of a situation and insight will help you move on to a better place. This is an over simplified obsevation of the gtherapeutic process. It does work but may also involve 'transference' ie relationship with the therapist/. dependency which has to be worked through with the therapist) This process can take a long time and is expensive if done on a one to one (can be up to five years) There are many variations as sometimes therapeutic techniques are used alongside CBT. They are not the same however. It does work but it takes a long time sometimes to get results. Sometimes the support has to go over a number of years.