What is Psychoanalytic Treatment?

Psychoanalysis is a method of treatment that offers a way of understanding ourselves, our relationships, and how we conduct ourselves in the world. Psychoanalysis helps people learn how they became who they are, and why they do and feel the things they do. This understanding can lead to emotional freedom and substantive changes. Psychoanalysis is based on the observation that individuals are unaware of many of the underlying factors that determine current emotions and behavior. Working with an analyst helps to uncover unconscious determinants that contribute to unhappiness and inhibition.

[From American Psychoanalytic Association, “About Psychoanalysis,” 2004]