The Basics of Psychodynamic Therapy

Fundamentally, the term psychodynamic therapy refers collectively to any form of therapy that utilizes analytic methods to pinpoint the patient's problem areas and then to develop strategies to resolve these issues. These therapies are usually based on Freudian theory, although some psychodynamic techniques also originate from other theories as well, including those of Adler and Jung. In traditional methods of psychodynamic therapy, therapists play a subdued role during each session. They allow the patient to do the majority of the talking undirected, serving only as a tentative ear, not an individual.

Some traditional psychodynamic therapists, though, periodically choose to interact with the patient by unraveling what the individual has said or briefly pointing out a significant part of the patient's thinking. However, their primary goal is to listen to whatever pops into the patient's head during therapy (Webber, 2005). More modern psychodynamic therapists, in contrast, often play a much more active role in the therapy process. They offer frequent feedback and revelation of any avoidance issues the client might have. They also may offer links between previous issues and the current problems he/she is experiencing (Tobin, 2007).

Essentially, psychodynamic therapy is based on the belief that events in a person's life, his/her interactions with others (in the past and present), and his/her own personal desires have an enormous impact on how he/she functions from day to day. If the majority of these factors are positive, the individual should be able to function quite healthily. However, if too many of these factors have been negative, it is probable that he/she will eventually have problems functioning normally. Consequently, the main purpose of psychodynamic is for the therapist to assist the patient in three important areas. (1) The therapist helps the patient completely unveil his/her problems (mental disorders and other issues). (2) The therapist then guides the individual in finding the underlying negative factors (e.g., childhood conflict with parents) of these problems. And (3) the therapist devises ways for the patient to overcome the damage caused by the underlying factors. When psychodynamic therapy is successful, the patient learns more beneficial ways of thinking, which resolves the underlying factors and in turn, returns the person to normal functioning (Grohol, 1995; Nemade, Reiss, & Dombeck, 2007; Thomas, n.d.).

In the course of researching psychodynamic therapy, I realized that this broad category is made up a wide variety of different therapies. First of all, these therapies can be conducted in a long-term (traditionally weekly for months or even years) or a short-term manner, which is known as "brief therapy." One of these brief therapies is brief dynamic therapy, which usually lasts 12-20 weeks and is meant to only address one individual emotional issue. Related to this treatment method is psychodynamic-interpersonal psychotherapy, which usually lasts about as long as brief dynamic therapy but is approached less traditionally, with a strong reliance on interaction between patient and therapist (Nemade et al., 2007; Thomas, n.d.). Some other examples of psychodynamic approaches include supportive-expressive psychotherapy, self-psychology, and relational analysis (SAM HAS, 2006; Tobin, 2007).

Throughout the years, it has been determined that psychodynamic therapy is usually very effective with patients suffering from depression. However, it may also be beneficial for many of those who have eating disorders, personality disorders, and even substance abuse problems/disorders (Moran, 2005; Nemade et al., 2007; SAM HAS, 2006). One of the advantages of psychodynamic therapy is that it allows individuals to grow in tune with how life's experiences, others, and other external factors can affect their thinking and actions. Moreover, the skills and insight that these patients gain through psychodynamic therapy can help them avoid potential problems in the future because they will know what to look for and how to deal with it. Nevertheless, there are also a number of disadvantages to psychodynamic therapy. First, it can be very time consuming and expensive since some techniques can require frequent visits for long periods of time. Also, it is only effective in people who are willing to take the time and effort to learn about themselves and how they think and react on a daily basis. Furthermore, the psychodynamic therapist relies mainly on his/her interpretations of the patient dialogue; therefore, if the therapist does not interpret this dialogue correctly, the patient will not see any improvement (Grohol, 1995; Webber, 2005).

References:

Grohol, J. M. (1995, July 21). Types of therapies: Theoretical orientations and practices of therapists. Retrieved November 3, 2007, from http://psychcentral.com/therapy.htm

Moran, M. (2005, January 21). Clinical & research news: Short-term psychodynamic therapy found effective in several disorders. Psychiatric News, 40(2), 53. Retrieved November 3, 2007, from http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full /40/2/53-a

Nemade, R., Reiss, N. S., & Dombeck, M. (2007). Other forms of psychotherapy - Psychodynamic therapy. Retrieved November 3, 2007, from http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=13028&cn=5

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAM HAS). (2006, April 3). Chapter 7 - Brief psychodynamic therapy. In Psychoanalytic Theories of Addiction. Retrieved November 3, 2007, from Addiction Information Web site: http://www.addictioninfo.org/articles/689/1/Brief-Psychodynamic-Therapy/Page1.html

Thomas, L.D. (n.d.). Notes: Therapy. Retrieved November 3, 2007, from Blinn College Web site: http://www.blinn.edu/socialscience/LDThomas/MyNotes/27Therapy.htm

Tobin, S. (2007). Psychodynamic therapy. Retrieved November 3, 2007, from http://www.doctortobin.com/pages/dynamic.shtml

Webber, C. (2005). Psychodynamic therapy. Retrieved November 3, 2007, from http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/diseases/depression/psychodynamictherapy_000433.htm