Discussion What do you think about psychoanalysis?

[Kimlett]

Do you have any experience with this kind of therapy? Do you think it can be helpful? I might start going to psychoanalysis therapy and I would like to know your opinions about it, positive or negative.

 

[Dot]

0 therpis wrk fr evry1 bt = cn defntly hlp educ8 u wth lernng 2 recgnse wht certn emotns r & whre thy cme frm

A decnt therpst wll also spport u in givng a sfe spce 2 procss repressd emotns

= wrth a try imo & if ds nt wrk thn cn alwys try a dffrnt typ of therpy aftr

 

[BloomingAzaleas]

Surprisingly good practice for having very little scientific theory.

Therapy basically originates from psychoanalysis so its been proven to be helpful, to some people at least

I personally recommend looking into Carl Jung and Jungian psychology, I found the themes pretty helpful personally, especially the shadow

 

[grapevoid]

Do you have any experience with this kind of therapy? Do you think it can be helpful? I might start going to psychoanalysis therapy and I would like to know your opinions about it, positive or negative.

I hope you have a great experience with this! This has been super helpful for me in the past, while no therapy has cured me of SI digging into what my underlying motivations are, how and why I make choices, and having guidance has been extremely useful for me to help prevent self sabotage and hurting the people I love with my irrational behaviors

 

[Nobody'sHero]

Freud was a complete degenerate who made this shit up as he went. I compare it to just talking to someone you trust about your problems. I also believe it is designed as a detection system to look out for abnormal thoughts and deal with them.

 

[Forever Sleep]

I haven't had experience personally. One of my neighbours used to go in for this though. He described it as being made to relive our most painful memories over and over. 'Stay with the pain' was his motto.

Some of my negativity towards it probably stems from negativity towards him and myself if I'm honest. I had a ridiculous limerent crush on him but I found him to be arrogant and demeaning towards others. So- my perspective may not be entirely fair. He paid huge sums to do it!. I'm not sure if they all charge enormous amounts.

He described a situation once where he was chatting to a woman at a concert. She had a friend with her who apparently gave him a dirty look. This deeply troubled him so, he talked to the analyst about it. The analyst then proceeded to tell him what the woman was thinking! Like- seriously? How?!! How can you possibly know someone else's thoughts twice removed? It was an interpretation that boosted his ego if I remember.

I suppose I had my own interpretation of the situation. I suspect her friend was worried for her. He was the sort of good looking, charming guy who would absolutely use people. Not necessarily physically for an affair but, certainly emotionally. I suspect her friend could tell that so, she was probably concerned and not too happy with the situation.

Obviously- that's me doing what this psychiatrist did but- I'd likely not share my opinion out loud. So- that struck me as odd for a start. That someone would claim to be so all- knowing that they could read another's thoughts from a description of a conversation! It was surely just an interpretation. Just the same as my version was. (That I obviously kept to myself.)

I suppose I'm not sure reliving painful memories over and over is all that healthy either. Perhaps beneficial in so much as considering what affect they have on our behaviour now. Presumably, it will be something bad resulting in an unwanted behaviour so- after identifying that, shouldn't we be working towards changing it? Not scrutinizing every horrific moment of the memory? I'm not entirely sure if that happens in these sessions. But, based on his description, it sounded like it. Sometimes I wonder if the brain does us a favour/ mercy in trying to forget certain things. I wonder how beneficial it really is to keep raking it all up.

I suppose I like the idea of it in terms of trying to work out where some of our (more unhepful) thought patterns and behaviours originate. Still- I see that as only part of the problem. Ok- we feel like this and behave like this because of that- but, now what? I wonder if they then suggest ways to modify that (unhelpful) thinking/ behaviour. Or do they just insist we 'stay with the pain'!

 

[TransilvanianHunger]

To get my bias out of the way, I am currently studying psychology at uni, with a psychoanalytic focus. Most courses are taught by practising analysts, from a psychoanalytic viewpoint.

Been in analysis for almost three years at this point. I like it, and I've found it incredibly helpful.

I may or may not have talked about this here before, but one of my big issues was career-related — after bouncing from career to career for almost half my life, I found myself doing work that I found completely meaningless. I started my analysis essentially by chance — I looked for a therapist without really knowing much of anything about psychotherapy, and ended up with a psychoanalyst. My knowledge of the discipline at that point was limited to the usual misconceptions of "Freud was all about sex", "all your problems are because you're in love with your mum", and so on, so I was somewhat hesitant, but I was kind of exhausted and ready to start gathering everything I needed to kill myself and be done with it, so I thought "fuck it, let's give it a go since I'm already here". After about a year my life was so different, and I felt so different, that I began to think it might be worth it to go back to uni, get another degree, and get psychoanalytic training to do this kind of work myself. The way I've described it to people is something like: "if I can help one person like my analyst has helped me, then I've done something worthwhile with my life."

There are many misconceptions about psychoanalysis. There are excellent analysts and shit ones, like in every other field. Modern psychoanalysis has moved on from the "you want to marry your mum" cliché, which is in itself a total misunderstanding of the Oedipus complex. Freud remains the cornerstone of psychoanalysis, but there's been loads of other authors that have advanced the field in the past century. Yes, psychoanalysis is not scientific, but a therapeutic modality being "scientific" doesn't really mean anything when it comes to its efficacy. Being "scientific" or "evidence-based" has become a buzzword. Psychoanalysis cannot be scientific, because it deals with the subjective experience of individuals, and you cannot measure or accurately describe and reproduce someone's subjective experience. Analysis is entirely individual, there is no manual or handbook to follow — the process is tailored to every individual patient. Every session is unique.

Also, psychoanalysis is not about dwelling on the past, or re-living bad memories over and over. The reason why it looks to the person's past is because past experiences shape how we act and see the world, others, and ourselves, in the present. It does look at the person's early life history, because our childhood relationships and experiences influence the present in all sorts of ways. It looks at the past not to find someone to blame, but to find the reasons why we feel, act, and relate to ourselves and others in the way we do. Those unconscious relational and affective patterns drive us without us noticing, and cause us to suffer. Through analysis, we gain insight into those unconscious dynamics, and once you understand what's behind this feeling or that relational pattern, you are no longer bound by it — you have the freedom to choose to act differently. That's the whole point of analysis.

That being said, it is not an easy modality to engage with. A good analyst will not give you advice, will not tell you why you do this or that, why people in your life act the way they do. Because the analyst cannot know any of that. The analyst is there not to cure you (psychoanalysis does not believe in "cures", because the human experience and the human mind are way more complex than a broken bone you can mend), or to give you the answers. The analyst is there to be a sort of guide and companion. They will listen to you deeply, and point you towards things that might be worth exploring, or remark on inconsistencies, conflicts, or patterns in what you say, not as a "gotcha", but as an invitation to explore what those might mean. The analyst is not going to diagnose your ex, or your family with a disorder. The analytic relationship is not a friendship, or a mentorship, or any other kind of relationship people are familiar with. It's a relationship between two individuals, safeguarded by secrecy, free from judgment, where the analysand can say anything the want to say, however they want to say it. The goals are set by the analysand, the analyst is there to assist them.

There are times where you go into a session feeling a bit down, and you come out feeling like absolute shit. That is expected, and entirely normal. Analysis is about confronting the crap that we've been ignoring for years, decades, or our entire lives, that we carry with us all the time and make us suffer. It requires commitment, and emotionally-draining work. The analyst has no magic words to say that will make you feel better. And it's entirely possible that you will feel worse before you feel better, because you'll be dealing with painful things that have been neglected and buried in the unconscious. Those things don't go away, though. They keep coming back, like herpes.

So, yeah. I do like psychoanalysis. There are aspects of it I don't fully agree with, but I like it nonetheless.

If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask.

 

[ParalyzedVeteran]

Psychology is religion without principles.
The last edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) to list homosexuality as a disorder was the DSM-II, published in 1968. It was classified under "Sexual Deviations." This classification was removed in the DSM-III, published in 1980, reflecting a significant shift in the understanding and acceptance of homosexuality within the psychiatric community.
Homosexuality is just the easiest example to cite that illustrates the lack of principles. Seems to be a lucrative hustle where intentions are more important than outcome.

 

[Adûnâi]

It looks at the past not to find someone to blame, but to find the reasons why we feel, act, and relate to ourselves and others in the way we do. Those unconscious relational and affective patterns drive us without us noticing, and cause us to suffer. Through analysis, we gain insight into those unconscious dynamics, and once you understand what's behind this feeling or that relational pattern, you are no longer bound by it — you have the freedom to choose to act differently. That's the whole point of analysis.

Is it similar to the Castaneda warrior's way of self-stalking? That's kind of my question though - does noticing patterns necessarily free one from them? Is there an actual freedom? You can't simply will yourself to stop being hungry. You can ignore it, sure, but up to a point. If you're tired, you will fall asleep at some point.

 

[iamanavalanche]

To get my bias out of the way, I am currently studying psychology at uni, with a psychoanalytic focus. Most courses are taught by practising analysts, from a psychoanalytic viewpoint.

Been in analysis for almost three years at this point. I like it, and I've found it incredibly helpful.

I may or may not have talked about this here before, but one of my big issues was career-related — after bouncing from career to career for almost half my life, I found myself doing work that I found completely meaningless. I started my analysis essentially by chance — I looked for a therapist without really knowing much of anything about psychotherapy, and ended up with a psychoanalyst. My knowledge of the discipline at that point was limited to the usual misconceptions of "Freud was all about sex", "all your problems are because you're in love with your mum", and so on, so I was somewhat hesitant, but I was kind of exhausted and ready to start gathering everything I needed to kill myself and be done with it, so I thought "fuck it, let's give it a go since I'm already here". After about a year my life was so different, and I felt so different, that I began to think it might be worth it to go back to uni, get another degree, and get psychoanalytic training to do this kind of work myself. The way I've described it to people is something like: "if I can help one person like my analyst has helped me, then I've done something worthwhile with my life."

There are many misconceptions about psychoanalysis. There are excellent analysts and shit ones, like in every other field. Modern psychoanalysis has moved on from the "you want to marry your mum" cliché, which is in itself a total misunderstanding of the Oedipus complex. Freud remains the cornerstone of psychoanalysis, but there's been loads of other authors that have advanced the field in the past century. Yes, psychoanalysis is not scientific, but a therapeutic modality being "scientific" doesn't really mean anything when it comes to its efficacy. Being "scientific" or "evidence-based" has become a buzzword. Psychoanalysis cannot be scientific, because it deals with the subjective experience of individuals, and you cannot measure or accurately describe and reproduce someone's subjective experience. Analysis is entirely individual, there is no manual or handbook to follow — the process is tailored to every individual patient. Every session is unique.

Also, psychoanalysis is not about dwelling on the past, or re-living bad memories over and over. The reason why it looks to the person's past is because past experiences shape how we act and see the world, others, and ourselves, in the present. It does look at the person's early life history, because our childhood relationships and experiences influence the present in all sorts of ways. It looks at the past not to find someone to blame, but to find the reasons why we feel, act, and relate to ourselves and others in the way we do. Those unconscious relational and affective patterns drive us without us noticing, and cause us to suffer. Through analysis, we gain insight into those unconscious dynamics, and once you understand what's behind this feeling or that relational pattern, you are no longer bound by it — you have the freedom to choose to act differently. That's the whole point of analysis.

That being said, it is not an easy modality to engage with. A good analyst will not give you advice, will not tell you why you do this or that, why people in your life act the way they do. Because the analyst cannot know any of that. The analyst is there not to cure you (psychoanalysis does not believe in "cures", because the human experience and the human mind are way more complex than a broken bone you can mend), or to give you the answers. The analyst is there to be a sort of guide and companion. They will listen to you deeply, and point you towards things that might be worth exploring, or remark on inconsistencies, conflicts, or patterns in what you say, not as a "gotcha", but as an invitation to explore what those might mean. The analyst is not going to diagnose your ex, or your family with a disorder. The analytic relationship is not a friendship, or a mentorship, or any other kind of relationship people are familiar with. It's a relationship between two individuals, safeguarded by secrecy, free from judgment, where the analysand can say anything the want to say, however they want to say it. The goals are set by the analysand, the analyst is there to assist them.

There are times where you go into a session feeling a bit down, and you come out feeling like absolute shit. That is expected, and entirely normal. Analysis is about confronting the crap that we've been ignoring for years, decades, or our entire lives, that we carry with us all the time and make us suffer. It requires commitment, and emotionally-draining work. The analyst has no magic words to say that will make you feel better. And it's entirely possible that you will feel worse before you feel better, because you'll be dealing with painful things that have been neglected and buried in the unconscious. Those things don't go away, though. They keep coming back, like herpes.

So, yeah. I do like psychoanalysis. There are aspects of it I don't fully agree with, but I like it nonetheless.

If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask.

my EXACT thoughts and more ^_^ was really good to read this especially as i am also interested in psychoanalysis and doing psych in uni :>

 

[TotalEclipse]

It was the only form of therapy that worked for me, but now I'm not able to see that therapist anymore because my dad fucked things up. It's part of why I'm killing myself

 

[neenie]

Pseudo-scientific, time-consuming, expensive, and founded on pure lies. I think the reasons most of the world has given up on it are sound and logical

 

[rs929]

To get my bias out of the way, I am currently studying psychology at uni, with a psychoanalytic focus. Most courses are taught by practising analysts, from a psychoanalytic viewpoint.

Been in analysis for almost three years at this point. I like it, and I've found it incredibly helpful.

I may or may not have talked about this here before, but one of my big issues was career-related — after bouncing from career to career for almost half my life, I found myself doing work that I found completely meaningless. I started my analysis essentially by chance — I looked for a therapist without really knowing much of anything about psychotherapy, and ended up with a psychoanalyst. My knowledge of the discipline at that point was limited to the usual misconceptions of "Freud was all about sex", "all your problems are because you're in love with your mum", and so on, so I was somewhat hesitant, but I was kind of exhausted and ready to start gathering everything I needed to kill myself and be done with it, so I thought "fuck it, let's give it a go since I'm already here". After about a year my life was so different, and I felt so different, that I began to think it might be worth it to go back to uni, get another degree, and get psychoanalytic training to do this kind of work myself. The way I've described it to people is something like: "if I can help one person like my analyst has helped me, then I've done something worthwhile with my life."

There are many misconceptions about psychoanalysis. There are excellent analysts and shit ones, like in every other field. Modern psychoanalysis has moved on from the "you want to marry your mum" cliché, which is in itself a total misunderstanding of the Oedipus complex. Freud remains the cornerstone of psychoanalysis, but there's been loads of other authors that have advanced the field in the past century. Yes, psychoanalysis is not scientific, but a therapeutic modality being "scientific" doesn't really mean anything when it comes to its efficacy. Being "scientific" or "evidence-based" has become a buzzword. Psychoanalysis cannot be scientific, because it deals with the subjective experience of individuals, and you cannot measure or accurately describe and reproduce someone's subjective experience. Analysis is entirely individual, there is no manual or handbook to follow — the process is tailored to every individual patient. Every session is unique.

Also, psychoanalysis is not about dwelling on the past, or re-living bad memories over and over. The reason why it looks to the person's past is because past experiences shape how we act and see the world, others, and ourselves, in the present. It does look at the person's early life history, because our childhood relationships and experiences influence the present in all sorts of ways. It looks at the past not to find someone to blame, but to find the reasons why we feel, act, and relate to ourselves and others in the way we do. Those unconscious relational and affective patterns drive us without us noticing, and cause us to suffer. Through analysis, we gain insight into those unconscious dynamics, and once you understand what's behind this feeling or that relational pattern, you are no longer bound by it — you have the freedom to choose to act differently. That's the whole point of analysis.

That being said, it is not an easy modality to engage with. A good analyst will not give you advice, will not tell you why you do this or that, why people in your life act the way they do. Because the analyst cannot know any of that. The analyst is there not to cure you (psychoanalysis does not believe in "cures", because the human experience and the human mind are way more complex than a broken bone you can mend), or to give you the answers. The analyst is there to be a sort of guide and companion. They will listen to you deeply, and point you towards things that might be worth exploring, or remark on inconsistencies, conflicts, or patterns in what you say, not as a "gotcha", but as an invitation to explore what those might mean. The analyst is not going to diagnose your ex, or your family with a disorder. The analytic relationship is not a friendship, or a mentorship, or any other kind of relationship people are familiar with. It's a relationship between two individuals, safeguarded by secrecy, free from judgment, where the analysand can say anything the want to say, however they want to say it. The goals are set by the analysand, the analyst is there to assist them.

There are times where you go into a session feeling a bit down, and you come out feeling like absolute shit. That is expected, and entirely normal. Analysis is about confronting the crap that we've been ignoring for years, decades, or our entire lives, that we carry with us all the time and make us suffer. It requires commitment, and emotionally-draining work. The analyst has no magic words to say that will make you feel better. And it's entirely possible that you will feel worse before you feel better, because you'll be dealing with painful things that have been neglected and buried in the unconscious. Those things don't go away, though. They keep coming back, like herpes.

So, yeah. I do like psychoanalysis. There are aspects of it I don't fully agree with, but I like it nonetheless.

If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask.

Are you from Argentina or France?

 

[TransilvanianHunger]

Is it similar to the Castaneda warrior's way of self-stalking?

Hadn't heard of this, but from what I'm seeing it's somewhat similar, in that it brings focus to one's own actions, thoughts, behaviours, and so on. At the end of the day, we have little control (if any) over external circumstances and what others choose to do, so focusing on those things is not going to help much.

That's kind of my question though - does noticing patterns necessarily free one from them? Is there an actual freedom? You can't simply will yourself to stop being hungry. You can ignore it, sure, but up to a point. If you're tired, you will fall asleep at some point.

Psychoanalysis is at its core a kind of "soft" determinism. We are all the result of a number of factors that have been moulding us since birth — our early experiences, our biology, genetic factors, the culture and time in which we were born, and so on. There is no "freedom" in an absolute sense, and you cannot break away completely from those factors. But there is a degree of freedom that can be achieved by becoming conscious of those factors and how they show up in the ways in which we act, think, behave, etc. Becoming consciously aware of their influence, if you will. That awareness, by itself, will not magically change anything; but if you understand why you tend to act or behave in a certain way, then you can consciously shift yourself towards acting or behaving, if you want to do so.

As a random example, take a person who struggles with social anxiety. They feel self-conscious, insecure, and like people secretly dislike or judge them because they're just awkward and weird. In analysis, this person might investigate the root cause of those feelings — maybe they grew up in an environment where they were constantly questioned, or were not validated enough, or any other kind of experience which might have undermined their own sense of self-worth. With that knowledge, the person might then change the way they feel and act in social settings — it's not that they're awkward and weird, but that they were "made" to believe that they were, so to speak; they might get past that feeling, and begin to notice that others aren't constantly judging them. Sure, there will be people out there who will dislike them, but that's part of the regular experience of socialising. Once the person understands the root cause of their social anxiety, they can get out of their own head, as it were, and approach social situations differently.

my EXACT thoughts and more ^_^ was really good to read this especially as i am also interested in psychoanalysis and doing psych in uni :>

Hello there, fellow psych/psychoanalytic weirdo :)

Are you from Argentina or France?

I am not, but I have had a couple of professors from Argentina. They love their psychoanalysis over there.

 

[EvisceratedJester]

Psychology is religion without principles.
The last edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) to list homosexuality as a disorder was the DSM-II, published in 1968. It was classified under "Sexual Deviations." This classification was removed in the DSM-III, published in 1980, reflecting a significant shift in the understanding and acceptance of homosexuality within the psychiatric community.
Homosexuality is just the easiest example to cite that illustrates the lack of principles. Seems to be a lucrative hustle where intentions are more important than outcome.

Psychiatry and psychology are two different fields. Psychology is a field mainly focused on the study of the human mind and behaviour. It is a broad field, with areas of study ranging from studies of psychological development to studies of how perception works. Psychiatry, meanwhile, is a branch of medicine that specializes in the diagnosing and treatment of mental illnesses.

While these fields can overlap, they are not the same and should not be conflated with one another. A lot of psychologists don't even specifically work in the mental health field.

Also, your argument here is flawed. By your logic, we could also argue the same thing in regards to biology, since biologists in the past also used to argue that race was biological, something that has now since been disproven. At the end of the day, people are people. Our biases can impact our views of things, leading us to come to the wrong conclusions. Even today, you can still find medical professionals arguing that black people have higher pain thresholds whenever they have black patients who complain of being in pain. None of these things make evolutionary biology or medicine invalid as fields, rather they just reflect issues on the part of the people who choose to go into them.