What is psychoanalytic psychotherapy?
Psychoanalytic psychotherapy draws on theories and practices of psychoanalysis. It is a therapeutic process which helps people understand and resolve presenting problems by increasing their awareness of their inner world and its influence over relationships both past and present.Psychoanalytic psychotherapy aims to change complex, deep-seated and often unconsciously based emotional and relationship problems thereby reducing symptoms and alleviating distress. Many people who experience a loss of meaning in their lives or who are seeking a greater sense of fulfilment may be helped by psychoanalytic psychotherapy.
The relationship with the therapist is a crucial element in the therapy. The therapist offers a confidential and private setting which facilitates a process where unconscious patterns of the patient's inner world become reflected in the patient's relationship with the therapist (transference). This process helps patients to gradually identify these patterns and, in becoming conscious of them, to develop the capacity to understand and change them.
Victorian Association of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapists (VAPP)