What is Psychoanalysis? 

Psychoanalysis is a cooperative discovery and empowerment process between therapist and client where the client’s issues are not seen as medical nor as conditions to “treat”.

The relationship between therapist and client is professional yet complex. The dynamic is not one of an all-knowing, all-seeing expert “helping” or “treating” a client, but rather the therapist is a guide and “fellow traveller” on the client’s journey.

In psychoanalysis and holistic psychology, the person is seen as a whole, not as a “patient” who has “conditions” to “treat”. Thus a significant aspect of the work between therapist and client is self-exploration and development. Because a process of action is very personal, dynamic and fluid assessment methods can not be easy to identify specific outcomes.

By the very nature of the work, the client often does not know what they aim to “achieve” from the process, merely because they need to work on their personal development.

In many cases, medical professionals have diagnosed clients as having various pathologies or conditions. However, these labels are often not very helpful in psychoanalysis since the therapist works with the person, not the disease.

But, again, unlike the NHS models of psychotherapy, in holistic psychology and psychoanalysis, we do not “treat”, nor do we “diagnose”. Where appropriate, of course, the client is referred to medical professionals for assistance. Find out more here.