TYPES OF TREATMENT
INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHODYNAMIC PSYCHOTHERAPY
The framework of psychodynamic psychotherapy is developed out of the techniques and theory of psychoanalysis. This approach has been given many names, such as “deep therapy,” “talk therapy,” “the talking cure,” and/or “psychoanalytic psychotherapy.” I consider both psychodynamic psychotherapy and psychoanalysis to belong to the category of ‘healing arts’ as well as ‘science.’ In general, the treatment begins by first developing a trusting relationship with a skilled and compassionate therapist. The focus of the therapy is directed toward exploring and understanding the issues that initially prompted the search for treatment. The treatment includes developing ways to manage the troublesome or painful symptoms. Gradually the scope of the work would move toward a thorough exploration of past relationships and events, particularly those of childhood. This is integral to understanding theexperiences that shaped the sense-of-self, which becomes the lens through which all subsequent relationships are seen and acted upon. Much of what we believe about ourselves is created out of an attempt to make sense of early, perhaps troubling or confusing relationships. By revisiting the past with a compassionate therapist, much can be gained toward healing the mind.
INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOANALYSIS
There are some similarities between psychoanalytic psychotherapy and psychoanalysis. Both treatments aim to explore the deeper layers of the individual’s personality, unearthing the very origins of troubling thoughts, behaviors, and relationships. Psychoanalysis differs from psychotherapy in the frequency of visits per week as well as giving the patient an option of lying on the couch. If you choose psychoanalysis as your method of treatment you would typically come to the office 4 times per week. While that might appear daunting, many patients schedule their treatment regimen as a natural part of their day, going early in the morning before work or school or in the late afternoon or evening. The increased frequency intensifies the relationship between analyst and patient and allows for a more fluid rhythm of communication and relating with little lag time between sessions. The therapy can go deeper, uncovering feelings and memories of past experiences and relationships. The therapy would focus much more intently on the dynamics between us, as patient and analyst,; these dynamics create a window into your inner life (your perceptions, expectations, feelings, and thoughts of self and others) which allows you to work through relational conflicts, emotional blocks and difficulties, negative self-perceptions, and other issues.
INTRODUCTION TO EMDR
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an integrative psychotherapy approach that has been extensively researched and proven effective for the treatment of trauma as well as other psychological or emotional issues. This technique involves using “bilateral stimulation” in the form of following a light with your eyes, from one side to another. The left – right eye movements in EMDR therapy are a way to stimulate both sides of the body as well as the brain. Other forms of bilateral stimulation used by myself and other EMDR therapists include alternating bilateral sound using headphones and holding little vibrational pulsars in your hands which vibrate back and forth, left and right.
No physical discomfort is involved. However, if you are seeking EMDR treatment, you will be asked to access memories of life experiences that may be sad, upsetting, hurtful or otherwise traumatic. By accessing these memories in the context of the safe environment created in the office, the processing of the memories and the lingering meanings that were assigned to it, are transformed. In other words, the experience is reprocessed in a way that helps untangle feelings of self-doubt, self-blame, shame, and/or feelings of being ‘not good enough’ from the disturbing event. Simultaneously, new associations are forged and coupled between the traumatic memory and more adaptive information, such as your capabilities, strengths, and resilience. These new associations result in complete information processing, new learning, elimination of emotional distress, and the development of cognitive insights about the memories.
Sandtray therapy is an expressive form of psychotherapy, which means people can communicate inner feelings and messages by arranging miniature figures and objects in a special tray, creating scenes in the sand. My sandtray is 30 X 20 X 3 inches with a blue floor and blue sides. You might consider that sandtray therapy is a type of play therapy that adolescents and adults can easily engage in. It is a way to more easily express (and sometimes discover) deep feelings, thoughts, and beliefs that are brought forth by the stories created in the sand. I have found the sandtray helpful when the person has feelings that are so powerful that she or he resists letting out. Sometimes feelings are difficult to articulate verbally because there may be no words capable of describing the intensity or the depth of the feeling. This can happen in cases where the person is bereaved, if there has been a significant trauma in the person’s life, or the person finds emotions difficult to put into words. This mode of therapy gives the person the opportunity to express these feelings non-verbally, through the stories played out in the sandtray.
I look forward to working with you, regardless of the path toward healing that you choose.
