Psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis affirms the uniqueness of an individual’s experiences and focuses on the way one has adapted, or continues to be influenced, by relationships and events from earlier parts of one’s life. In contrast to other forms of therapy which address behavior or symptom reduction exclusively, psychoanalysis offers an expansive sense of self-understanding and deep relatedness to one’s inner life, from which changes in behavior and symptoms naturally occur.
As opposed to a strictly “back there, back then” intellectual exploration of one’s life, psychoanalysis focuses on the alive experience of one’s history in the present, for example, in current relationships, in one’s work life, and within the relationship to the analyst. Meeting more frequently than in a psychotherapy treatment, generally 3-5 times a week, the relationship that develops between analyst and patient is an important aspect and vehicle for awareness and transformation.
Often people seek psychoanalysis to understand a pattern they have noticed that has held them back from fulfilling work or relationships, and to experience changes with some aspect of their life that continues to elude or plague them.
Psychoanalysis requires a time commitment and a willingness from patients to explore difficult feelings with the help of the analyst. It can often help to build new pathways and structures for deep, lasting change .
“Psychoanalysis arose from an appreciation of the power of people talking directly to one another about questions that matter and issues that are difficult to understand. In examining what lies beneath the surface of human behavior—in providing multi-layered and multi-dimensional explanations—psychoanalysis teaches us about the unconscious psychological and psychosocial forces that fall outside of everyday awareness…
Psychoanalytic treatment is based on the idea that people are frequently motivated by unrecognized wishes and desires that originate in one’s unconscious.
These can be identified through the relationship between patient and analyst. By listening to patients’ stories, fantasies, and dreams, as well as discerning how patients interact with others, psychoanalysts offer a unique perspective that friends and relatives might be unable to see.”
“At its simplest, psychoanalysis is both a clinical treatment method and an experiential study of the mind. It utilises the moment-to-moment experience of the analyst and the analysand to gain new knowledge about unconscious wishes and fears. These unconscious manifestations in a person’s life are influenced by various factors unique to each individual, such as childhood experiences, relationships, and early traumatic events, and often have a repetitive quality over the lifespan…
Understanding these unconscious manifestations can help to explain why we feel and behave in certain ways; whilst working through them can lead to insight and personal growth. During a psychoanalytic treatment, the psychoanalyst acts as a compassionate companion on the intricate journey of self-exploration. Using their knowledge, expertise, and personal qualities, they help us to explore the depths of the unconscious mind, repressed feelings, unresolved conflicts and the meanings of dreams. With their guidance, we are able to connect our past experiences to our present behaviours and emotions.”
“The Psychoanalytic Institute of Northern California (PINC) is a vibrant center for comparative psychoanalytic inquiry, research, and training… Our training program—based on the tripartite model of course work, supervised analysis, and personal psychoanalysis—leads to a Certificate in Psychoanalysis.
Our dominant values of interdisciplinary inclusiveness, community collaboration, and participation in the evolution of psychoanalysis are all reflections of the spirit in which PINC was founded. Since 2004 PINC had been a Provisional Society of the International Psychoanalytical Association (IPA); PINC became a component society in July of 2009. While meeting IPA standards, PINC maintains its unique identity and continues to provide an innovative vision at the cutting edge of psychoanalysis.”