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Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Explained

Exploring and working through transference is at the core of psychodynamic psychotherapy and psychoanalysis. Transference can be explained simply: Have you ever walked into a room meeting somebody for the first time and you couldn't stand them or you were instantly drawn to them as likable. If you try to understand why, you might realize that they remind you of Aunt Abigail or Uncle Bruce.

Psychoanalytic theory proposes that all relationships are partly based on what is happening with the people in your life right now and, in part, based on past relationship experiences(or transference).

In the actual psychodynamic therapy, all the time and internal reflecting with the patient saying much more than the therapist says sets up a situation where the transference to the therapist flourishes. The patient begins to have more reactions to the therapist based on past relationship experiences because the therapist is giving so little input about who he or she really is. The therapy is then focused on working through the problematic areas that have hindered the person's current functioning and quality of life.

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