The 3 Main Goals of Psychodynamic Therapy

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Here you will learn about some of the fundamental concepts that psychodynamic therapy focuses on that allows it to still be a very relevant technique for helping people through emotional issues.

1. Becoming Self-Aware of The Subconscious

In psychodynamic theory, the concept of our subconscious or unconscious mind has an enormous impact on the way that we think, feel, and behave.

One way we can understand this concept is by examining psychological defense mechanisms. These are behaviors people subconsciously use to deal with the anxiety that comes from thoughts or situations. Some examples of this you’ve probably heard of before are denial, projection, and regression.

A significant goal of psychodynamic therapy is to try to make patients become aware of their subconscious so that they can learn to cope with uncomfortable emotions and make better decisions for themselves.

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2. Understanding How The Past Affects The Present

Your personal experiences shape you, especially the ones that have happened in the distant past. Therefore, to make people aware of what can be driving their behaviors, psychotherapy spends time helping people reflect on these past events so they can become aware of how they’re affecting them currently.

For example, an individual might have experienced something traumatic in the past. Even if they consciously try to block out the event from their mind, it’s still a critical event that influences how an individual interacts with the world around them.

By helping people uncover the past and how it’s influencing the present, they can work to try to resolve them by using this insight and find more happiness and satisfaction in their lives.

3. Examining Interpersonal Relationships

A lot of the events from the past that influences the present and our subconscious mind stem from our interactions with other people.

One way psychodynamic therapy works is through using a technique called transference in the client-therapist relationship specifically. In this case, the client will “transfer” their feelings about a particular individual onto the therapist. Here, the therapist can try to uncover meanings behind these feelings, such as a weak bond with one’s parents growing up and how this has led to how the relationship currently is.

However, as you can see, while reflecting on the past is a significant part of psychodynamic therapy, it also focuses on your present interpersonal relationships and your role in shaping them.

More Resources On Psychodynamic Therapy

While cognitive-behavioral therapy is by far the most frequently used psychotherapy technique for a wide array of mental health concerns, this certainly doesn’t mean psychodynamic therapy is obsolete.

In fact, it’s still widely used today because it’s a great long-term solution, and it has a unique approach to helping people resolve the problems in their lives that have been causing them distress, potentially for many years.

If you’re interested in learning more about psychodynamic therapy and what you can expect from your sessions if you choose to try it, BetterHelp has free articles about psychodynamic therapy aimed at educating people about this older but still very effective treatment technique.

Conclusion

The past can affect us all on both a conscious and subconscious level, and the point of psychodynamic therapy is to help individuals unveil the latter and how it impacts their wellbeing. By revealing them and becoming more self-aware, you can take the necessary steps needed to make changes in your life so that you can improve your quality of it.