Psychodynamic therapy is a branch of depth psychology that aims to reveal the unconscious content of the psyche. This kind of treatment aims to interpret mental and emotional processes and alleviate psychic tension. Rooted in ego psychology and self-psychology, psychodynamic therapy was developed as a more straightforward, short-term alternative to traditional psychoanalysis. It can offer many benefits to those experiencing emotional and mental symptoms, such as anxiety and depression.
Psychodynamic Therapy: What Are the Core Principles?
Psychodynamic therapy is sometimes confused with psychoanalysis. Where it differs is that the psychoanalytic approach is purely Freudian, whereas psychodynamic theories include both Freud’s theories and the theories of his followers.
In psychodynamic therapy, your therapist will help you gain insight into negative thought or behavior patterns that have developed over time. This involves the use of four core principles, also known as life factors:
- Early childhood experiences
- Beliefs
- Emotions
- Thoughts
Psychodynamic therapy is based on the core belief that our early experiences impact our behavior and thoughts – including any psychological problems. According to psychodynamic theory, all behavior has a cause – even if the factors that influence that behavior are unconscious. Freud believed that we provide insight into the unconscious mind through slips of the tongue, now known as ‘Freudian slips.’
Your therapist may ask you to talk freely about your present life, childhood memories, thoughts, beliefs and emotions. He or she may also examine your dreams and fantasies to uncover their meanings.
Who Does Psychodynamic Therapy Help?
Psychodynamic therapy is often used to treat depression, but it can also be applied to many other mental health conditions and psychological disorders:
- Anxiety
- Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Stress
- Panic disorders
- Sexual problems
- Personality disorders
- Isolation and loneliness
- Physical ailments that have no apparent physical cause
Psychodynamic Therapy Techniques and Goals
Psychodynamic therapy techniques can be used in a variety of ways. They may be combined with other forms of therapy, or your therapist may tailor specific exercises to suit your needs and goals. The main aim of this treatment is to examine the subconscious so it can be adapted to ease your symptoms.
Although the psychodynamic approach is primarily a talking therapy, you may communicate with your therapist in a variety of ways. You might be asked to keep a dream journal, try visualization exercises to uncover subconscious emotions or memories, or to answer questions about your life and past. Neutrality is one of the key psychodynamic therapy techniques – so your therapist is unlikely to voice an opinion on what you say.
Dismantling defense mechanisms is another common technique in psychodynamic therapy. This is because defense mechanisms can keep painful memories and feelings hidden in the subconscious and prevents us from healing from them. Your therapist will work to understand your denial, repression or rationalization of such thoughts or emotions and help you, safely, bring them to conscious awareness so they can be resolved.
What Are the Benefits of Psychodynamic Therapy?
One of the main benefits of psychodynamic therapy is that is has been practiced successfully for decades. It is similar to other forms of psychotherapy, and it poses minimal risks even for those who are unwilling or afraid to share details of their past. It is supportive and encouraging, and it can improve your long-term wellbeing and help you learn new coping skills.
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Psychodynamic therapy is an approach that involves facilitation a deeper understanding of one’s emotions and other mental processes. It works to help people gain greater insight into how they feel and think.
By improving this understanding, people can then make better choices about their lives. They can also work on improving their relationships with other people and work toward achieving the goals that will bring them greater happiness and satisfaction.
Psychodynamic therapy is rooted in psychoanalytic theory but is often a less intensive and lengthy process than traditional psychoanalysis. While psychoanalysis tends to focus a great deal on the patient and therapist relationship, psychodynamic therapy also places a great deal of emphasis on a patient’s relationships with other people in the outside world.
What Is Psychodynamic Therapy?
Psychodynamic therapy is a form of talk therapy. It is based on the idea that talking to a professional about problems people are facing can help them find relief and reach solutions.
Through working with a psychodynamic therapist, people are able to better understand the thoughts, feelings, and conflicts that contribute to their behaviors. This approach to therapy also works to help people better understand some of the unconscious motivations that sometimes influence how people think, feel, and act.
This approach to psychotherapy can be helpful for dealing with mental or emotional distress. It can help promote self-reflection, insight, and emotional growth.
By better understanding your emotional patterns and their roots, you are better equipped to manage your problems and develop coping techniques that will help you both now and in the future.
Uses
While it is similar to psychoanalysis in many respects, it is often less frequent and shorter in duration. Like other forms of therapy, it can be used to treat a variety of mental health problems.
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Eating disorders
- Interpersonal problems
- Personality disorders
- Psychological distress
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Social anxiety disorder
- Substance use disorders
Factors that may impact what type of treatment is used include cost-effectiveness, availability, patient preferences, and the severity of the symptoms the person is experiencing. While cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a popular and effective approach, evidence suggests that psychodynamic therapy can be just as effective for many conditions.
Online therapy is another option that you might consider. Some research also suggests that online psychodynamic therapy may be as effective as online CBT.
How It Works
Psychodynamic therapy helps people recognize repressed emotions and unconscious influences that may be affecting their current behavior. Sometimes people act in certain ways or respond to others for reasons that they don’t really understand.
Psychodynamic therapy helps people learn to acknowledge, bear, and put into perspective their emotional lives. It also helps people learn how to express their emotions in more adaptive and healthier ways.
Important Characteristics
Some important aspects of psychodynamic therapy include:
- Identifying patterns: Psychodynamic therapy helps people learn to recognize patterns in behavior and relationships. People often develop characteristic ways of responding to problems without really being aware of these tendencies. Learning to spot them, however, can help people find new approaches to coping with problems.
- Understanding emotions: Research has found that psychodynamic therapy is useful for exploring and understanding emotions. Through gaining insight into emotional experiences, people are better able to recognize patterns that have contributed to dysfunction and then make changes more readily.
- Improving relationships: Relationships with others are a key focus of psychodynamic therapy. In working with a therapist, people are able to understand how they often respond to others.
The therapeutic relationship itself can serve as a way to look into the relationships a person has with other people through a process known as transference. This gives people an immediate “in vivo” way to explore and then change their pattern of responses in order to improve their relationships.
How Effective Is It?
How effective is psychodynamic therapy and how does it compare to other forms of treatment?
Assessing the efficacy of psychodynamic therapy presents some challenges, but research does suggest that it can be useful in the treatment of a variety of psychological problems.
One reason that it may be difficult to assess the full efficacy of psychodynamic therapy is that many of the changes it produces can be tough to measure.
While it is relatively easy to measure changes in specific acute symptoms, it is much more difficult to measure underlying personality changes, noted researcher Jonathan Shedler in a press release by the American Psychological Association (APA).
Despite this difficulty, research supports the efficacy and use of psychodynamic therapy to treat a variety of conditions.
- One notable review published in the journal American Psychologist concluded that the evidence supports the efficacy of psychodynamic therapy.
- Another study found that psychodynamic therapy could be at least as effective as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT).
- A 2017 review published in the American Journal of Psychiatry concluded that psychodynamic therapy was as effective as other established treatments. However, the authors of the study suggested that further research was needed to determine who benefited the most from this type of treatment.
What You Can Expect
If you decide to try psychodynamic therapy, you may meet with your therapist weekly to a few time each week. Each session typically lasts for around 45 minutes and you will continue to see your therapist for several months. In some cases, you may keep having sessions for a year or longer.
During psychodynamic therapy, people are often encouraged to talk about anything that might be on their minds. This might include things they are currently experiencing or memories of things that have happened in the past.
One form of psychodynamic therapy known as brief psychodynamic therapy is designed to produce results more rapidly, often in 25 to 30 sessions. In this shorter-term form of treatment, people may initially determine a particularly emotional area where they want to focus on.
Long-term psychodynamic therapy may take a year or longer and involve 50 or more therapy sessions.
A Word From Verywell
If you are experiencing symptoms of a mental health condition, talk to your doctor or mental health professional. They can make a diagnosis and recommend treatment options that may be best for your individual needs. Psychodynamic psychotherapy may be a good fit for you.
