Most people understand what free association means: to voice all thoughts, feelings and ideas that come to mind during a therapy session, without deciding in advance whether they’re relevant or “worth saying.” At the beginning of traditional psychoanalysis, clients are instructed to freely associate and occasionally reminded to do so as the treatment proceeds. We… Continue reading Why Free Association is So Difficult
Tag: psychodynamic psychotherapy
When the Therapist Falls Asleep During Session
I dozed off for about ten seconds during a session today. Over the last 30 years, this has happened to me three times that I recall. The first time was with an elderly client, benignly psychotic but disengaged from the therapeutic process; briefly dozing made me realize I’d come to feel that I couldn’t help… Continue reading When the Therapist Falls Asleep During Session
Video #3 – “The Transference Begins”
I’ve now uploaded the third installation in my series on psychodynamic psychotherapy, which you can access through the video frame below. This one covers early manifestations of the transference and includes a lot of examples from recent sessions in my practice. It’s a useful counterpart to my earlier post on the subject, fleshing out the… Continue reading Video #3 – “The Transference Begins”
Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Video No. 2: The Early Weeks
This is the second installment in my video series about what to expect in psychodynamic psychotherapy, focusing on what happens during the early weeks. In addition to developing a deeper understanding of the client’s past and current emotional issues, these sessions involve a fair amount of education about the process itself: how it’s the job… Continue reading Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Video No. 2: The Early Weeks
Why I’m a Therapist
When people find out I’m a therapist, they usually assume I chose my profession because I want to help others. While I derive a deep sense of satisfaction from doing just that, I mostly chose to become a therapist because it was the only line of work I could envision that would support me and… Continue reading Why I’m a Therapist