Psychotherapy
What is Psychotherapy and will it be right for me?
Psychotherapy is based on an understanding that we all have an unconscious dimension to our mind and this unconscious has a significant impact on our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. By the term ‘unconscious’, we should understand that something of our inner life is radically hidden from us and cannot be accessed in the way other memories, thoughts and feelings can; indeed, the unconscious is often inaccessible without the help of a qualified practitioner, which is where a psychotherapist comes in.
What psychotherapy has demonstrated is that dreams, symptoms, repetitive behaviours, mistakes and even what makes us laugh can provide valuable clues to this unconscious activity; an analysis of these features of our lives can allow us to start to speak about what was previously hidden. By finding a way to speak about what has been ‘concealed’, it becomes possible to resolve the unconscious conflicts that are often the root cause of experiences such as depression and anxiety.
At Midland Psychotherapy we practice a form of psychotherapy based on the theories and techniques developed by Sigmund Freud and his successor Jacques Lacan. This classical psychoanalytic approach to psychotherapy differs from other forms of ‘talk therapy’, such as counselling, in the emphasis that is placed on the unconscious workings of the mind.
Above all, the work of Freud and Lacan makes clear the relationship between our unconscious mind and the language we use. For this reason, speech is central to the process of psychotherapy.
What is Psychotherapy and will it be right for me?
Psychotherapy is based on an understanding that we all have an unconscious dimension to our mind and this unconscious has a significant impact on our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. By the term ‘unconscious’, we should understand that something of our inner life is radically hidden from us and cannot be accessed in the way other memories, thoughts and feelings can; indeed, the unconscious is often inaccessible without the help of a qualified practitioner, which is where a psychotherapist comes in.
What psychotherapy has demonstrated is that dreams, symptoms, repetitive behaviours, mistakes and even what makes us laugh can provide valuable clues to this unconscious activity; an analysis of these features of our lives can allow us to start to speak about what was previously hidden. By finding a way to speak about what has been ‘concealed’, it becomes possible to resolve the unconscious conflicts that are often the root cause of experiences such as depression and anxiety.
At Midland Psychotherapy we practice a form of psychotherapy based on the theories and techniques developed by Sigmund Freud and his successor Jacques Lacan. This classical psychoanalytic approach to psychotherapy differs from other forms of ‘talk therapy’, such as counselling, in the emphasis that is placed on the unconscious workings of the mind.
Above all, the work of Freud and Lacan makes clear the relationship between our unconscious mind and the language we use. For this reason, speech is central to the process of psychotherapy.
“The interpretation of dreams is the royal road to a knowledge of the unconscious activities of the mind”
– Sigmund Freud
What can Psychotherapy help with?
Anxiety
Depression
Insomnia
Phobias
Addictions
Eating Disorders
Suicidal Thoughts
Obsessive and Compulsive Thoughts and Behaviours
Repetitive Destructive Behaviour
Emptiness, Guilt, Jealousy, Self-loathing and Dread
When to seek help
People suffer in all kinds of different ways and hence choose to attend Psychotherapy for a wide variety of reasons. But what most people who decide to try psychotherapy have in common is that they have been unable to alleviate their suffering by the use of self- motivation and common sense and in addition are often at a loss as to the cause of their particular form of suffering.
Psychotherapy is often likely to be a good option for somebody who finds themselves asking questions like, ‘Why do I keep doing this?’, ‘Why do I feel this way?’, ‘Why can’t I change my behaviour?’
These kinds of questions are often an indication that there is an unconscious cause of the suffering and it will therefore be very difficult for an individual to gain insight into and relief from their suffering without some help.
So, whether the person is feeling depressed or anxious, experiencing panic attacks or struggling to control addictive or compulsive behaviors such as substance misuse or eating disorders, if the cause of the suffering is unclear to you then Psychotherapy is likely to be a very helpful approach.