Psychotherapy
A clinical practice informed by the lens of psychoanalytic thought, and rooted in the uniqueness of one
What is Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy?
Psychoanalytically-oriented psychotherapy brings ideas of psychoanalysis into practice.
Psychoanalysis
The Unconscious
We are rarely the sole masters of our own minds. Psychoanalysis begins with the understanding that much of what drives us—our fears, desires, and deepest motivations—operates just below the surface. When you feel stuck or overwhelmed, it isn't "nonsense"; it is your inner world attempting to speak. Therapy provides the space for these unspoken parts of yourself to finally find the right words.
The Blueprint of the Past
Our early lives create the internal scripts we carry into adulthood. We learn how to love, trust, and relate through our first experiences, often viewing the present through the lens of the past without realizing it. By revisiting these original "blueprints," we can begin to understand why we repeat certain patterns—such as reaching for closeness while simultaneously pulling away—and start to navigate them with more intention.
The Complexity of Being
The human mind is inherently layered and contradictory. We can love and resent the same person, or desire success while deeply fearing it. In this practice, we do not aim to "fix" these internal conflicts or force a false sense of simplicity. Instead, we acknowledge that being human means inhabiting a complex inner life where multiple, often clashing, truths can exist at once.
"The point of psychoanalysis is not adaptation, but enlargement of life."
- Becoming Freud
Rather than providing immediate solutions, it focuses on understanding one’s experiences over time. It creates a dedicated space where your history, your emotions, and your unique way of seeing the world can unfold such as:
- Recurring Emotional Patterns: Understanding why the same situations seem to keep happening.
- Relational Histories: Exploring how your past experiences with others shape your present connections.
- Inner Conflicts: Honoring the "tug-of-war" between different parts of yourself.
- Lived Experience: Valuing your personal story exactly as you feel it, without judgment.
How Does Psychoanalytically-oriented Psychotherapy Work?
"We think we listen, but very rarely do we listen with real understanding, true empathy. Yet listening, of this very special kind, is one of the most potent forces for change that I know."
— Carl Rogers, A Way of Being
Moving beyond "coping"
The goal of this work is not just to help you "get by," but to foster a deep, structural change in how you experience life. We often spend a great deal of energy trying to ignore or push away feelings that are uncomfortable. However, these "disavowed" feelings have a way of leaking out regardless, often causing us to work at cross-purposes with ourselves.
You might recognize this inner friction through thoughts like:
