Is Psychoanalysis for Me?
Analysis can address anxiety, depression, relationship issues, work conflicts and other problems of living. It is suited for those who want to get to the root of long-term problems and patterns rather than immediate issues. People seek analysis for many reasons, including self-awareness, creative inhibition, repeated difficulties in work or love, and self-destructive patterns of behavior.
[From American Psychoanalytic Association, “About Psychoanalysis,” 2004]
Psychoanalysis is an intensive treatment that allows an intimate partnership to develop between the analyst and the patient. This relationship helps the patient become aware of the underlying unconscious sources of his/her life patterns or difficulties. Psychoanalysis asserts that individuals often act from unconscious factors that may create unhappiness - sometimes recognized as a disturbance in mood, low self esteem or difficulties in work or love relationships. Because these forces are unconscious, the advice of friends and family, self-help books, or even the most determined efforts of will often fail to provide relief. Psychoanalysts strive very hard to LISTEN to their patients conscious and unconscious thoughts and feelings to facilitate a deeper understanding and self reflection of their internal world. This kind of pursuit can result in the potential of new possibilities for thinking and behaving that can make a lasting impact on one’s life and relationships.
Finding a Well-Qualified Psychoanalyst
The designation "psychoanalyst" is not protected by federal or California state law. Anyone, even an untrained person, may use the title. It is therefore important to know the practitioner's credentials before beginning treatment.
NCP psychoanalysts received training under the auspices of the American Psychoanalytic Association, the International Psychoanalytical Association, or other well-regarded training programs consisting of a rigorous and intensive clinical education. These graduates are psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers or marriage and family therapists and some outstanding, qualified scholars, researchers, educators, and selected other professionals who meet high ethical, psychological, and professional standards.
In addition to psychoanalysis most graduate analysts also practice intensive and brief psychotherapy, sometimes prescribing medication. Many treat couples, conduct family or group therapy sessions, and work with the aging. Because psychoanalysts are provided with the most thorough education available in normal and pathological development, their training enhances the quality of all their therapeutic work.