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Psychodynamic Therapy: What It Is, How It Works & Who It Helps
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You've done your best to control your thoughts, worked on forming new habits, but still, the same patterns resurface - in your relationships, in your self-image, and in the decisions that you continuously make. Psychodynamic therapy could be helpful if this is the case. Unlike others, it helps to get to the root of the problem and not just the symptoms.
What Is Psychodynamic Therapy?
Psychodynamic therapy is a type of talk therapy that views the main source of people`s thoughts, feelings, and actions as being their unconscious minds, along with their past experiences, especially those from childhood. It was developed from psychoanalytic therapy, which is the school of thought introduced by Sigmund Freud. However, modern psychodynamic therapy sees fewer sessions, is more open to the client's input, and has been supported with tons of clinical research over the years.
The purpose is not only to control the symptoms. It aims to assist you in recognizing the hidden emotional themes influencing those symptoms and to change them fundamentally.
If you are hesitant about whether psychodynamic therapy is suitable for your situation, August - a health AI assistant that achieved 100% on the medical licensing examinations - can guide you in understanding your symptoms and help you to formulate relevant questions for your first visit.
Psychodynamic Therapy Techniques
Since psychodynamic therapy methods are based on raising awareness through dialogue, not on doing particular activities or tasks, the therapist's role is a guide.
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Talking freely: You just talk as you do normally, without checking every single thought, even your thoughts that make no sense or feel wrong.
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Using the therapeutic relationship: The way you treat your therapist often reflects the way you treat others, giving you an immediate opportunity to learn about yourself.
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Unconscious defense mechanisms: We use these processes, denial, repression, reaction-formation, projection, displacement, and others automatically to keep ourselves from feeling the pain, but also we remain prisoners of the same emotional constraints.
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Relationship patterns: like a film repeating several times the same scenes, sometimes with minor changes, other times in a joyful version, they help us to remember the old, hidden, unchanged story.
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Dreams and mental images: In certain forms of therapy, these are ways to connect with unconscious content.
What do they achieve? Since the greater part of the transformation that happens as a result of therapy occurs through the insight that one acquires, this insight is quite often quite deep and enduring, precisely because it is connected to the cause and, not just to the symptoms, of the problems being addressed.
Psychodynamic Therapy Examples
For instance, here are some psychodynamic therapy examples that illustrate how this type of work actually happens:
|
Presenting Issue |
Psychodynamic Focus |
|
Recurring relationship conflict |
Exploring attachment patterns formed in early caregiving relationships |
|
Chronic low self-worth |
Identifying internalised critical voices from key figures in your past |
|
Difficulty with authority |
Examining how past power dynamics shape current workplace responses |
|
Emotional numbness |
Understanding what feelings are being avoided and why |
Psychodynamic Therapy for Depression
Psychodynamic therapy for depression has a solid empirical foundation. In a major umbrella review published in World Psychiatry, Leichsenring et al. (2023) recognized psychodynamic therapy among empirically backed interventions for depression and several other adult mental health issues - this recognition was based on meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials.
Another systematic review published in PMC discovered that psychodynamic therapy brings about significant enhancements in depression, anxiety, and somatic disorders when compared with inactive controls - and that the positive changes are often found to even increase after treatment is finished, a phenomenon researchers have named the "sleeper effect."
Psychodynamic vs. CBT
Psychodynamic vs. CBT is probably the top comparison whenever someone is deciding on a type of therapy. Here is a straightforward side-by-side:
|
Psychodynamic Therapy |
CBT |
|
|
Focus |
Past patterns and unconscious processes |
Present thoughts and behaviors |
|
Approach |
Exploratory and relational |
Structured and skill-based |
|
Duration |
Typically longer-term |
Often 12–20 sessions |
|
Best For |
Chronic patterns, personality issues, relationship difficulties |
Specific anxiety, phobias, OCD, and depression episodes |
Key Takeaways
Psychodynamic therapy helps you to comprehend the unconscious patterns that govern your present life. It is not merely about treating symptoms but rather, locating these symptoms to the very root.
It has significant research backing for depression, personality issues, and persistent relationship issues. In case you have done structured approaches and still feel stuck, psychodynamic therapy could be a different and usually complementary path.
If you want to learn more about whether psychodynamic therapy is suitable for you, August is there to help you figure out your options, prepare questions for a therapist, and take the first step without any anxiety.
Frequently Asked Questions
How‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ long does psychodynamic therapy last?
How‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ long does psychodynamic therapy last?
It depends. The shortest versions usually run for 12-24 sessions. Longer-term therapy may go on for a year or even more, depending on your aims and how complicated your patterns are that you want to change.
Is psychodynamic therapy the same as psychoanalysis?
Is psychodynamic therapy the same as psychoanalysis?
No. Psychoanalytic therapy, the classical form, usually consists of multiple sessions per week over years. Psychodynamic therapy is more adaptable, shorter, and is offered in regular clinical settings.
Does psychodynamic therapy work for anxiety?
Does psychodynamic therapy work for anxiety?
Definitely. The PMC systematic review showed significant results for the treatment of some anxiety disorders. Psychodynamic therapy is especially effective when anxiety is coming from relational patterns or past experiences that have not been resolved.
Can psychodynamic therapy be done online?
Can psychodynamic therapy be done online?
Definitely. Many qualified psychodynamic therapists provide sessions online, and studies indicate that online talk therapy is effective for most cases.
Who is psychodynamic therapy best suited for?
Who is psychodynamic therapy best suited for?
Individuals with persistent relationship problems, chronic low self-esteem, personality disorders, depression, or who have patterns that have not been changed by brief interventions.
How is psychodynamic therapy different from counselling?
How is psychodynamic therapy different from counselling?
Counselling usually deals with day-to-day problems and how to cope. Psychodynamic therapy, however, digs below the surface, investigating how your past and the unconscious mind contribute to your current problems.
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