How to Use Psychoanalytic Therapy

Everyone has the image of the psychiatrist sitting in a comfortable leather chair while the patient is reclining and pouring their heart out on a long expensive couch. This notion is partially due to the father of modern psychology, Sigmund Freud, and his method of psychoanalytic therapy. Follow these steps needed to use psychoanalytic therapy properly for change.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Know the history of psychoanalytic therapy and the history of Sigmund Freud understanding the origins and purposes of the therapeutic style. Find some modern literature on how to use psychoanalytic therapy to supplement the antiquated method.

2. Learn the defense mechanisms and the various ways in which they play out in individuals, as well as the id, ego and superego functions. Watch an instructional video to see how they play out or try to recognize them in your daily life. Become acquainted with defense mechanisms: repression, reaction formation, projection, displacement and rationalization.

3. Spend a lot of time in the session working through personal familial history. Ask extensive questions about parental figures and early childhood experiences to get a feeling for where psychological blockages happened early on.

4. Have the client lay on a couch, preferably behind you, while therapy is in session, so you will not cause any distractions. Use frequent silences to help foster processing from the client, only offer interpretations occasionally.

5. Work toward transference in the therapy session. Transference is where the client transfers their feelings of love/hate about the parent to you. Learn how to deal with transference issues professionally and skillfully or else it could be disastrous.

6. Work frequently with your client and refer to your notes for neurotic cues. Try not to give advice to the client as possible but offer interpretation where necessary (i.e., when an issue comes up repeatedly or is extremely neurotic).

Tips & Warnings

• Use some dream analysis in with the psychoanalytic therapy. Dreams can be a good way to tap into the client's subconscious.
• Learn about Freud stages of development. This will help when applying the psychoanalytic method to their past history and current neuroses; oral, anal, phallic, latent and genital stages are all important to his theory.
• Employ methods such as free association, resistance (changing topic), prepares (slip of tongue) and the elusive emotional catharsis.
• Learn how to effectively handle transference or risk damage to both you and your client's mental well being.

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Resources

• Read a brief history of psychoanalytic method.
• Find videos to watch on the APA website.
• This is the official website for the Sigmund Freud Museum in London.