Psychodynamic Psychotherapy

Psychodynamic psychotherapy, also called psychoanalytic psychotherapy, is a treatment approach that seeks to bring unconscious mental content into awareness, reducing the inner psychological conflict that stems from emotional trauma or stress. Although often used interchangeably with psychoanalysis, it draws on psychoanalytic theory but runs over a substantially shorter period, typically meeting once or twice a week rather than the more intensive schedule of traditional psychoanalysis, and it emphasizes a strong, trust-based relationship between patient and therapist; its theoretical foundations draw on Sigmund Freud, Melanie Klein and object relations theorists such as Donald Winnicott and Wilfred Bion. It is considered evidence-based, treating conditions including adjustment disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder and personality disorders, and long-term psychoanalytic psychotherapy may offer small but statistically significant benefits over other therapies for complex mental disorders, though study limitations qualify that finding.