Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy

People come to psychotherapy for many different reasons. Some come to explore themselves, others to unblock their creativity or to open up a dialogue.

Some seek help because they are experiencing difficult or unwanted feelings, such as anxiety or sadness. They possibly have symptoms - sleeplessness for instance - that relate to these feelings. The distinctive element of psychoanalytic psychotherapy (as opposed to treating these problems with medication) is the belief that these feelings and symptoms mean something.

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"Once the symptom is seen as a making of meaning by an organism enigmatic to itself, rather than as a malfunctioning of a potentially well-functioning system, the treatment becomes a less obviously normative project; the aims of the treatment, the concept of cure, are there to be argued about rather than merely consented to." Adam Phillips

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In a session you will be encouraged to talk about whatever is going through your mind. I provide a safe, contained space for you to explore your feelings and will assist you to try to understand patterns in your experiences.

Our relationship and the different ways you use the space of therapy will be part of the process.

Some things are difficult to talk about; it is not always easy to find the words to express our emotions or to describe what has happened and it can be helpful to understand what might be getting in the way.

Some people find it easier to speak lying on a couch, others feel more comfortable sitting face to face.