According to this report, psychodynamic treatment can have as much as a 1.8 effect size. This treatment option is more effective than general psychotherapy. It’s also more helpful than antidepressant medications for various disorders.
Psychodynamic treatment can help treat depression, schizophrenia, and other conditions. What is psychodynamic treatment, though, and how does it help?
With this guide, you’ll learn all about psychodynamics. Discover how it can help any professional in the Los Angeles area.
Keep reading for your in-depth guide to psychodynamic treatment.
What is Psychodynamic Treatment?
Let’s start with the question you’re asking yourself.
What exactly what is psychodynamic treatment?
Chances are you’re already a little familiar with the concept. It pops up in television shows and movies from time to time.
This treatment option focuses on unconscious processes.
It’s also known as insight-oriented treatment.
The goal is to aid a patient’s self-awareness. That way, they can understand how the past influences their present.
The psychodynamic approach allows us to examine our unresolved conflicts.
These conflicts remain from past relationships or situations. This can cause us to turn towards self-destructive behaviors. That includes substance abuse.
The question “what is psychodynamic treatment” goes all the way back to Freud. His psychoanalysis is a subset of psychodynamic treatment.
Psychologist use psychodynamic treatment less often. It’s also conducted over a shorter period of time.
Today, contemporary psychologist are adapting this treatment.
That way, psychologist can use it for more specific conditions and disorders.
When is it Used?
Now that we’ve answered “what is psychodynamic treatment,” let’s discuss its specific uses.
Psychologist use this treatment option for patients with depression or other psychological disorders.
It’s also used when people feel they’ve lost meaning in their lives. Do you have a difficult time forming and maintaining personal relationships? Psychodynamic treatment can help.
According to this research, long-term psychodynamic treatment was effective in reducing depression scores. In fact, it was more effective than fluoxetine alone. This study spanned for 24 months with 272 depressed patients.
Psychodynamic treatment was also effective with anxiety disorders, eating disorders, and somatic problems.
It also demonstrated the ability to treat drug dependence (depending on the drug). The study proved that psychodynamic treatment could help drug users maintain abstinence. This could help reduce psychiatric morbidity.
This treatment also helps psychosis patients with personality disorders, schizophrenia, and mental illness.
What to Expect from the Psychodynamic Approach
A psychologist will first encourage you to speak about anything that comes to mind.
This includes current issues, dreams, fantasies, fears, and/or desires.
The initial goal is to feel a remission of your symptoms. This can help you increase self-esteem. It also creates an improved capacity for developing strong relationships.
Emotion
As you speak with your psychologist, they will direct you to acknowledge your emotions.
Unlike problem-based treatments, psychodynamic treatment has a holistic focus on the client’s perspective. Instead of focusing on behavior, this treatment option interprets mental and emotional processes.
That way, you can discover a pattern in your emotions and thoughts. Using the past, clients can gain insight into their present selves.
These patterns might reoccur in relationships, emotions, and behaviors. Recognizing these patterns can teach you how to break the loop. Instead of using self-defeating habits, you’ll have the skills to maneuver these obstacles.
As a result, you’ll develop greater freedom and control over your life.
Avoidance
Sometimes, we react to distressing thoughts and feelings by avoiding them.
Psychodynamic treatment will help you determine when you’re avoiding your problems and emotions.
This self-awareness can help you adapt and react to emotional situations. That way, you know how to handle stressors when they arise.
With each session, you’ll develop internal psychological resources. These resources can help you in the future. You will also develop a stronger capacity for dealing with your emotions.
That way, you can confront psychological issues before they can cause emotional suffering.
Psychodynamic treatment also believes that early life experiences can influence development. That means you should expect to explore your childhood memories, too.
Then, you can determine who you are to create a more positive image of yourself.
These treatment appointments will likely last an hour at least once a week.
Patients can also choose between short-term treatment (under a year) or long-term treatment.
How It Works
The goals of psychodynamic treatment are to:
- Improve your self-awareness
- Help you understand your thoughts, feelings, and beliefs based on past experiences
Your psychologist will guide you. Together, you’ll examine the unresolved conflicts and major events throughout your life.
Then, you will understand your emotional response to these conflicts. This can help you explore these situations with a new perspective.
Psychodynamic treatment assumes a person’s chronic problems remain in the unconscious mind. For you to experience catharsis, you need to bring these conflicts into the light.
Only then can you experience self-awareness.
With this new self-awareness, you can recognize the patterns of how you think and react. Then, you can use these patterns to develop healthier reactions in the future.
According to this research, psychodynamic treatment offers patients with lasting benefits. In fact, many patients continued to improve even after their treatment ended.
Psychodynamics & Relationships
Psychodynamic treatment depends on the relationship between the psychologist and the patient.
Your psychologist will note how you react during your sessions. This will tell them how you react, interact, and feel in other relationships.
How you respond to people in your life often emerges in your relationship with a psychologist. This is also known as transference.
Many psychological difficulties result from how we interact with others. In psychodynamic treatment, you’ll learn how to recognize these difficulties. That way, you can determine healthier ways to resolve or cope with these issues.
What is Psychodynamic Treatment: Your Guide
With this guide, you can answer the question “what is psychodynamic treatment?” Now you can determine if this is the treatment option that’s right for you.
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Dr. Cassidy Blair is a renowned Licensed Clinical Psychologist and trusted Performance Coach who specializes in providing Concierge-Psychological Care and Executive Coaching for high-achieving professionals. With a deep understanding of the unique challenges faced by CEOs, executives, entrepreneurs, and leaders, Dr. Blair offers tailored, confidential care designed to foster emotional well-being, personal growth, and professional excellence. Her clientele values her discretion, clinical expertise, and emotionally intelligent approach to navigating complex personal and professional dynamics.
