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Former-Member
Not applicable

Psychodynamic therapy

So, my psych in hospital 'strongly' recommended psychodynamic therapy for me.

He said it was really goood for early tramua. But I'm more than a bit scared. Anyone else had any experience with this therapy? Does it actually help? Does it prevent depressive relapses? Does it help with 'trauma'?

13 REPLIES 13

Re: Psychodynamic therapy

Hi @Former-Member

I've never heard of that type of therapy but i would be really interested in know how it works.  I might google it.  Hopefully some other members will help you 🙂

 

Re: Psychodynamic therapy

Hi @Former-Member,

the question about is a certain type of therapy effective is a difficult one because for example: they could try and compare my therapy with your therapy because the style our therapists use both have the same name but because I have very different difficulties, a very different history and a very different relational style to you, Plus our therapists are different people with different histories, experiences and relational styes so the two therapies are incredibly hard to compare.... then there is the question of what does "effective" mean because what I want and what you want and what our therapists want can be different again. 

having said that it seems that what the psych in hospital is saying is that they strongly think that you would benefit from a relational based therapy. The British Psychoanalytic (here) council describe psychodynamic therapy as:  "psychodynamic psychotherapy aim to help people with serious psychological disorders to understand and change complex, deep-seated and often unconsciously based emotional and relationship problems thereby reducing symptoms and alleviating distress. It differs from most other therapies in aiming for deep seated change in personality and emotional development."

Like other styles of therapy psychodynamic has evidence to back its effectiveness and different styles are often sought out for different reasons, but I also want to add that the most effective therapeautic outcomes come from choosing a therapist with whom you feel heard, safe but challenged, and where you both agree on what you need to get out of therapy / what a sucessful outcome will look like 

I hope this helps..

Former-Member
Not applicable

Re: Psychodynamic therapy

Thanks @Fancy_Pants,
reading that link it seemed to emphasise your point that getting along with the therapist is probably the most important piece of the puzzle - and being a person that finds it hard to trust, probably a very big piece indeed.
I guess I'm scared, and want to know beforehand if it's going to work or not.

'serious psychological disorders' also makes me feel like a bit of a failure/basket case. 

Former-Member
Not applicable

Re: Psychodynamic therapy

Hello @Former-Member

First of all that is a very harsh judgement you have made of yourself.

 

'serious psychological disorders' also makes me feel like a bit of a failure/basket case."

 

This is a lived experience forum of a site for people affected by mental illness.

It is a safe haven for people to feel that they can open up and write about their deepest feelings without being judged.

 

I dont believe that any of us are failures!  let alone basket cases!

 

No I am not going to take offence because i realise that is not what you intended.

you were putting yourself down.

 

However, i just thought that i would let you know that in doing that you left an opening for others to feel labelled.

Stigma has a huge impact on those of us with mental illness. also those who are diagnosed and too unwell to acknowledge anything is wrong.

There are also family members and friends of loved ones affected by mental illness on here.

You might want to speak with a moderator for them to assist you with this.

Psychodynamic therapy, psychoanalytical psychotherapy same just different decades.

I have had this therapy and for me although confronting and challenging it works.

you have to be prepared to feel all the range of emotions.

yes most importantly you need to have the right mix with your therapist.

i asked mine many questions before i commenced. it works.

 

Former-Member
Not applicable

Re: Psychodynamic therapy

Thanks for your response @Former-Member, I am particularly interested in hearing how other people found the therapy and what their experiences were,
Just wanted to clarify that I didn't mean my comment to be directed at anyone else, nor myself. It was just a statement of feeling. I wasn't saying I *was* a failure, I was saying that I *felt* like a failure.
This is where I go to talk about my illness in a way I cannot with people in real life. I feel I can be honest here and let my real feelings out.
On of my problems that I think that doctor recognises is that I find it very difficult to relax and feel/express my feelings. And it's very liberating for me to be able to do so here.
I do feel like a failure and a basket case. I feel like I'm a bad person who doesn't deserve to be alive. I feel like this therapy is some pathetic attempt to make me more human, cause I'm certainly not worth being called a human, I'm just worthless scum.
But strangely, I don't think these things about other people. (they are people and not scum for a start). I don't think negative things about other diagnoses, or situations or severity of illness - goodness, I've just gotten out of hospital myself! I certainly can't judge other people, and I don't think that I do. I'm just logging on and letting all my internal crap out.
Former-Member
Not applicable

Re: Psychodynamic therapy

hello @Former-Member

i am sensing that you are not coping too well and if you have just come out of hospital you need to be gentle with yourself.

When we are at our lowest we are the closest person to beat up and our self-esteem plummets.

if this is done repeatedly our overall opinion of ourself is extremely low.

it is good that you have come here to open up and discuss your feelings.

let your thoughts flow.

all of us just need to watch how we say things especially when we are feeling so stressed.

please keep writing.

look after yourself even though you have been discharged from hospital you still need to be gentle with yourself during a recovery period.

i hope that your doctor is able to refer you to a good specialist soon.

take care will probably meet you on here again.

 

Former-Member
Not applicable

Re: Psychodynamic therapy

Hi @Former-Member

I agree with the relationship thing. I'm not sure if I am or will be doing pure psycho dynamic therapy, as we are planning to mix but i have been building strong relationships with my psychiatrist, GP and therapist in the last 8 months and feeling safe is paramount in our relationships and for the therapy. I guess having 3 of them helps me to have someone to vent with when I get stressed or upset with another one (which happens all the time). We (I) still haven't decided if we are going to explore and confront especially the early trauma or "just" find ways to cope with it.

I honestly have to say since I found the right match of professional team I don't much care about therapy labels. I have learnt and accepted that this is a long term therapy, talking years. I am progressing, very slowly and I have been told many times, I need to be strong enough for the therapy. I still regularly battle with suicidal thoughts and am trying to contain and learn how to cope with flashbacks.

The main thing I have learnt that it is not a quick fix, it took me a year to find my current care team and we haven't really started any exposure. I do have to say although there is a lot of negative impact in my life I also have some positives coming out of this. I am learning whilst therapy is tough I am still breathing and living and I am finding more enjoyment in my life again. Not always, but a little bit more with time.

I wish all the best and a lot of strength and support for your journey.
Former-Member
Not applicable

Re: Psychodynamic therapy

So I saw my regular psychiatrist this morning. She didn't mention therapy to me and also mentioned how she thinks my depression is primarily biological. Having read through the differences between 'biological' and 'reactionary' depression I have to agree with her.
But what about my problems with intimate relationships? I feel it is a separate issue to the depression, but how do I bring this up with her? (I have such a hard time talking about all of this, I have no idea where to start).
Former-Member
Not applicable

Re: Psychodynamic therapy

Hey @Former-Member,

I think I will have to deal with intimacy issues when the time comes. As close as I am to my therapist there is still a whole heap she doesn't know. Today I let the cat out of the bag for something (not intimacy related) and that was hard enough. 

My gut reaction is to say just write it all down somewhere. All your thoughts and fears. I would then set this up as something that is very sensitive and important to you so that she knows the importance when you raise it. You could either then drip feed some of it to her and take it slowly or when you are feeling ok and strong enough to deal with it tell her or write to her about it. 

Just lately I had an issue with mine that I was very ashamed of and was so scared it would be minimised or not taken with the importance it carried for me. I just told her that I really needed her to work through it with me in a really caring way as I was feeling very insecure and she did and it lost much of the weight it had been carrying before. I know yours will take a bit of work from what you've said in the past but I really think it's well work setting it up right to start and let her know how important it is to you.

take care and best wishes with this. 💜🤗

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