Contemporary Psychoanalysis
By Licia Ginne, LMFT
“An analyst trained in contemporary psychoanalysis
focuses not just on past experiences, but also on the here-and-now
of an individual's experiences and relationships. Attachments,
separations, and losses beginning in infancy influence one's
personality, as do current contexts of living, working, and
loving. A contemporary psychoanalyst is interested in mutually
exploring your past and present experiences and relationships.
He or she participates in a dialogue with you to develop understandings
about your life.” Institute
of Contemporary Psychoanalysis
I think most of us still associate psychoanalysis with Classical
Freudian Psychoanalysis.. If you were a fan of the AMC television
series “Mad Men”, you can see snippets of a classical
(Freudian) psychoanalysis, in the second season. Classical
Freudian analysis has a clearly defined path of which the
patient should follow for a successful analysis and the interpretations
are all directed at achieving this goal. The analyst is an
innocent witness to the patient’s progress through the
required steps of awareness to complete the analysis. The
analyst will perceive any deviations from this path as the
patient’s own resistance to awareness or reenactment
of problems from the patient’s own past.
Contemporary Psychoanalysis encompasses many different theories
and approaches though I would like to focus on Intersubjective
Systems Theory, since this is the approach I ascribe to today.
“Human beings are by nature relational. There
is more to this assumption then meets the eye. It implies
that our psychological life cannot be the life of the isolated
mind; it must originate, grow and change within the intersubjective
contexts in which we find ourselves.” – Orange,
Atwood & Stolorow 2001: 27
In this theory the analyst is not seen as directing or instructing
the patient through the desired steps as with Classical Freudian
analysis and many other psychotherapies but as a partner in
the (therapist) analyst – patient relationship.Everyone
has a subjective experience, it is our own personal experience
and Intersubjective systems theory this subjectivity is understood
within the context it was created. Each persons story is different
and their own and we should try and undertstand their world
view as they understand it. We so often jump to conclusioins
and assumptions without really understanding. I see it with
myself and clients but also see how hard it is for couples
to understand their partner's view of the world.
In a paper by Donna Orange she defines intersubjective clinical
sensibility as having 3 components. Let me try and explain
the 3 components as I understand them.
1) The analyst does not assume the role of all knowing but
recognizes the process of engagement, the need for self-reflection
and the understanding that their presence influences the relationship.
2) The theory focuses on the emotional beliefs that create
the lens through which the client (patient) views their world
(organizing principles).
3) The analyst respects the reality of the patient and their
view of the world and tries to come understand it and explore
it.
The understanding and training of the analyst opens up an
area of exploration for the patient where they can consider
and understand how they came to view the world and themselves.
Attachment theory considers the effect the mother (primary
caregiver) has on her infant, how her emotional state, ability
to relate and respond to the infant establishs a pattern of
how the child will relate to the their world experience and
themselves. An anxious mother will often create an anxious
child and one who is trying to please others to establish
a safe connection. Whether they feel they have a secure attachment
to mother and view the world as a safe place or whether they
have an inconsistent attachment and fear depending on others,
is a simplified view of attachment theory and hopefully enough
to give the general meaning.
Psychoanalysis means a commitment of 3 to 5 sessions per
week, psychoanalytic psychotherapy can be 1 to 2 times per
week. I have found it to be an amazing experience to develop
such a close relationship with my analyst and feel the safety
of the multiple sessions. At first I was concerned I wouldn’t
have enough to talk about. What I found is that like with
any relationship where there is a lot of consistency, the
other person knowing your world deepens the relationship.
When we have grown up without this safe consistent relationship
it can also be frightening to have someone so close, our fears
and anxieties will surface. Here the work can begin, to have
a healing experience with someone who knows us, to understand
our fears and anxieties and to feel we are not alone. I think
most of us come to therapy because we didn’t get the
support, encouragement or interest that young children need
to feel valued and vital. It wasn’t that our parents
purposefully didn’t give us what we needed but most
likely they themselves didn’t get it so couldn’t
give it. It is within this relationship that deep beliefs
can be challenged and changed. We can never change what our
history is but we can become aware of it and realize that
some of what we believe to be the truth may not really hold
up. It might have been the truth in our families but not be
the truth for the world at large. |