What is psychoanalysis?
Psychoanalysis is a specific way of working which takes first and foremost our subjectivity into account. There are things that are common to being human but the differences make us who we are. Analytic journey is a journey of discovery of what makes us tick. More often than not we do not know why we do certain things and why we think certain thoughts. We might find this troubling at times. The questions we may ask ourselves: What motivates me in my work and my relationships and why? Why do I always end up in relationships that are destructive to myself and others? Why do I not get any pleasure out of life? Do I know what I want? And many other questions...
In psychoanalysis there is only one rule and that is to speak whatever is on one's mind without censorship. It is called free association. However we may judge our thoughts to be, there are no trivial thoughts. The analytic space is the space where the freedom of speech is very much encouraged. Bringing dreams, memories, fantasies, thoughts, feelings and desires into the space is crucial to the work. The analyst listens to the unconscious and tries to help the person connect things and find meaning.
The work may take longer than what we are used to (most treatments that we know are blanket treatments that are applied to each person in the same way). This way of working is exactly the opposite, leading to discovery of something new about each one of us.
Mariana DodigPsychotherapy & Psychoanalysis in South East London
