I am pretty sure that my T does not do Freudian psychoanalysis. But the truth is all therapists in some way are influenced by Freud in the sense that he was the father of psychoanalysis. I think most Ts now a days borrow from many schools of thought and philosphy to make up their own unique approach. Freud was very focused on sexuality as being the cornerstone of our development. He reguarded dreams as windows into our supressed sexual urges and desires. For example any object in a dream has some sexual meaning to the Freudian T. According to Freud, every long slender or elongated object (i.e. knife, cigar, gun, etc) represents the phallus, while any cavity or receptacle (bowl, cave, tunnel, etc) denotes the female. He believed that we all function with an Id, Ego and Super ego.

The current trend in therapy are the models of cognative behavoral and core mindfulness combined as a means to get relief from painful histories etc. DBT and EMDR are being used a lot these days as tools to process childhood memories more quickly and effectively than traditional approaches in therapy.

And I don't mean to tell you what you already know if you already knew all of this. I am not a big fan of Freud either. I wonder if your P relies solely on Freud or like most Ts if she has an eclectic approach that leans toward one major philosphy.

Hi Frosty, glad you hear you have started with a new P. I would believe that she does not rely solely on Freud and uses a more eclectic approach depending on what she feels is a fit for you. I'm not big on Freud and my T was trained in psychoanalysis but said he would be so bored doing the old fashioned kind where you just sit behind someone laying the couch and say uh huh... so how does that make you feel! He is a big fan of Kohut, Gill and Kernberg who sort of branched out from the traditional psychoanalysis but were trained that way in their early careers. My T also incorporates attachment theory/object relations theory. I find him easy to work with and very interesting. He does not give advice but helps me to identify patterns and helps me to understand why they exist. Where do they come from and why do I think the way I do based on my past history.

Good luck Frosty. I look forward to hearing about your sessions.

TN

Hey Frosty,

I am also glad to hear you're starting with a new P. I also agree that it seems highly possible she doesn't rely on Freud exclusively. Actually, from what I've heard/learned/experienced, most of the psychology community really doesn't like Freud (as in, the specific way he did things) but many take things he observed and find other meaning to it. The relationship really is what heals and I certainly hope you can get that with this P. ((((((hugs))))))

All I know about my T is that one day I mentioned that show Therapy (It's about a therapist who sees clients) and she said "Oh I know. I really like the actor but I can't stand psychoanalysis so I couldnt' watch it" So I guess that told me something right there. when I first started seeing her I was in a very very bad place so she was doing all these strange things with me like tapping my shoulders and head etc and visualizations. I finally told her that all I wanted to do was talk. I needed to talk and she backed off then and let me talk and she has turned out to be a great T for me. I wasn't sure at first but I am so glad I stuck with her.

No matter what your new T's approach is Frosty if she fits your needs that is what counts. Did you like her as a person so far?

YAY ((((frosty))))
So pleased you like her and hoping for a good fit!! Oh, I don't think there is such a thing as a pure Freudian approach these days - Ts and Ps have learned so much more!
Love, Morgs x

hi frosty,
I'm so glad you found a P who you like and feel excited about working with. it's a relief isn't it to feel good about it from the beginning and its so great that you are EXCITED, i love it! i think you'll do great.

all i know about my T is that her background is in psychiatry but she's been doing psychoanlytical therapy for a while. i wish i had asked more questions in the beginning, but i was late for my first session and she also asked me a lot of questions and i didn't have much time left to ask her too many things. i just feel a bit silly asking her these kind of things now and i also feel like i have more important things to talk about (and hardly any time) now.

i'v always been interested in psychology and was even considering studying that when i was younger (glad i didn't as i couldn't have done this as a job) but i still feel like i would like to learn more just for my own knowledge (and maybe to show off in front of T can't say i know much and my brain always switches off if the text is too clinical and jargony, but i like reading stuff that is basically stories about people and the incredible ways in which they coped and survived.

i wish i had some funny stories but I don't. I dont think I'm free enough in therapy for that - when i'm angry i always seem to have all these swearwords in my head, but i never say anything out loud (i tend to do that, i swear a lot in my head, but i'm so bloody polite most of the time).

mmmm.... wondering if anyone ever swore at (or in front of) their T and how did that pan out...?

let us know how it goes frosty (not about the swearing i mean )

puppet

ha, yeah, I told my T once that "what do you know? You don't even give a ***about me! so *** off." He was not pleased. I think if he was a good therapist he would have laughed, or made more light of it, or thought it was interesting. Instead, when I said I geuss you don't like swears, he got all "fatherly" on me, and agreed that that was not an acceptable way for me to express myself.

I think i like the idea of traditional pscychoanalysis. It seems extremely boundaried, and I like extreme boundaries. Anything that leaks out *really* means something in that context. Frost...it is great you are excited! I would be too! I think it is so great! I'm thrilled for you. Maybe I will find a psychoanalytic doctor. haha, but- they seem very....interested, all sitting there with their notebooks and all. I like interested- that seems good

BB

way to go BG and BB! i think that's great! i'm sorry your T didnt respond so well Beebs

hello D

puppet

Frosty - so love that your new adventure has started out on the positive track! I'm glad that you've found a good match - not pushy and such

My T is... you know? I'm not really sure what her main focus is, other than she practices an eclectic mix of styles - she often refers to when she was trained she was told to do such and such, but she prefers to do this instead (example: she was taught to be the blank slate - Freud? - but she finds that not showing any emotion makes her less real, and the realness is good.)

On the swearing piece of the thread... I think my T would fall out of her chair if I dropped a curse word. Then she'd get up and cheer. Seriously. I rarely, if ever, curse. I was mocking her once, and she said she'd prefer if I swore at her rather than mock her like a sassy teen

I swear all the time. In fact, if I get really worked up, almost every word is some form of F**k. If they take offense, they have never said anything. I also have never referred to or called either of them by name.

Frosty,
Research has pretty consistently demonstrated that the efficacy of therapy is much more highly correlated with the strength of the theraputic alliance than it is with the modality practiced by the therapist, so no matter what your new P is practicing, the fact that you are feeling comfortable with her is a very good sign.

I also think that a therapist's willingness to incorporate more than one approach is a really good sign since humans are complex enough that there really isn't a "one size fits all" solution in therapy. Different methods work for different people. As UV mentioned, her P is more self-disclosing due to attachment issues than he might be with another patient without those issues. That is a sign of a good therapist. A therapist's ability to understand and meet their client where they need to be met is a good thing to pay attention to. Too much rigidity in how they practice tends to limit the people they can actually help.

I really hope this works out well for you.

AG