Psychodynamic Psychotherapy

“We are what we are because we have been what we have been”.

Sigmund Freud

Sigmund Freud developed a collection of theories which have formed the basis of the psychodynamic approach to psychology. Psychoanalysis was the original psychodynamic theory, but the psychodynamic approach includes theories that were based on his ideas, e.g., Jung (1964), Adler (1927), and Erickson (1950). Psychodynamic psychotherapy focuses on unconscious processes as they are manifested in a person’s present behaviour. The goals of psychodynamic therapy are to attain self-awareness and understanding of the influence of the past on present behaviour. It asserts that the existence of the unconscious impacts our day to day life and that unhelpful functioning in our current life can be traced back to early life events. A psychodynamic approach enables the client to examine unresolved conflicts and symptoms that arise from past dysfunctional relationships.