Psychodynamic therapy: theoretical bases, techniques and currents

The set of therapies that we know as "psychoanalysis" has ramified enormously since Freud created his famous psychoanalytic type cure, which many people still mistakenly conceive as the archetype of psychology clinic.

In this article we will analyze the theoretical bases, currents and main techniques of psychodynamic therapy, a group of interventions based on the contributions of authors who developed and questioned Freudian psychoanalysis to maximize the usefulness of its tools.

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What is psychodynamic therapy?

Psychodynamic therapies, also known as psychodynamic psychotherapies, are therapeutic approaches that are based on the theoretical contributions of classical psychoanalysis, represented by Sigmund Freud, and / or its most recent developments.

Although both currents have a very close conceptual anchor, psychodynamic therapy differs from psychoanalytic-type cure in several key respects. Between these the shorter speeches stand out, the lower intensity of the treatment, the multiplicity of therapeutic focuses and the relative emphasis on scientific validation.

It is difficult to clearly establish the boundaries between psychodynamic therapies and others interventions framed in psychoanalysis, since there are a large number of therapies different; however, the above criteria are often used as indicators of the proximity of a treatment with the construct “psychodynamic therapy”.

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Theoretical bases

Like the rest of its developments, psychodynamic therapies share the focus of classical psychoanalysis on the importance of unconscious processes for behavior, thoughts and the emotions. Since unconscious variables are conceived as fundamental determinants of behavior, treatment must focus on these.

The symptoms of neurosis, the historical focus of psychoanalysis, are understood from these orientations as "solutions of commitment ”to the conflict between unconscious impulses and moral self-demands, to which Freud gave the metaphorical name "Super-ego."

Another central aspect of psychoanalytic theory is the fact that personality is formed during childhood depending on how basic needs are met. Since personal history is always unique, each person is different from the others and requires individualized treatment.

Those who practice these therapies usually defend that their objective is for the client to get to know their true Self; for this a deep analysis of the personality is necessary. However, psychodynamic therapies in general are characterized by their greater focus on the person's current problems, in comparison with the psychoanalytic type cure.

Thus, we could say that psychodynamic therapies are those that attempt to adapt the principles of psychoanalysis, either that of Freud or that of the theorists who followed him, in the context of psychotherapy modern. In addition, this type of intervention seeks to add the emphasis on the individual and his unconscious to the contributions of other psychological currents.

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Currents of psychodynamic therapy

Even if approaches to psychodynamic therapy are as broad as there are variants and, as we have said, it is not always possible to distinguish them from the classical forms of psychoanalysis, we can differentiate three main currents within the framework that occupies us.

1. Neo-Freudian therapy

Authors such as Carl Jung, Alfred Adler, Karen Horney, Harry Stack Sullivan, Erich Fromm, Wilhelm Reich, and Sándor Ferenczi are often classified as "neo-Freudian" because they extended Freud's theories by critiquing key aspects of his work, such as the emphasis on infantile sexuality, the concept of the death drive, or the lack of attention to psychosocial.

Neo-Freudian therapy is based on the revisions made by one or more of these authors to the postulates of the teacher. From neo-Freudianism, as from the analytical tradition of the Self, the role of the ego and the conscious is emphasized versus the almost exclusive focus of classical psychoanalysis in the id and the unconscious.

2. Psychoanalytic Tradition of the Self

This concept encompasses two closely related schools: the psychology of the Ego, developed in the United States and represented by Anna Freud, Heinz Hartmann or Erik Erikson, and the object relations theory, British orientation in which they stand out Melanie Klein, Donald winnicott or Ronald Fairbairn.

These currents put the mental representation that we make of our interpersonal relationships at the center of the intervention. More attention is paid to the present than in Freudian psychoanalysis, and the direct analysis of the therapeutic relationship is prioritized over that of the transference.

3. Psychoanalytic psychotherapies

It is considered that psychoanalytic psychotherapies are all those that are based on the theoretical postulates of the psychodynamic tradition but that do not derive their intervention methods from psychoanalytic cure. These therapies are very varied but are usually characterized by their brevity and by adapting to different types of psychological difficulties.

Among the best known psychoanalytic psychotherapies we find brief dynamic psychotherapy, inspired by the contributions of Ferenczi and Otto Rank, the Sifneos' brief psychotherapy with distress provocation, Mann's time-limited psychotherapy, and Mann's unconscious deactivation technique. Davanloo.

Methodology and techniques

Psychodynamic therapies focus on revealing unconscious conflicts that determine the current problems of the client by such solving them. Since these interventions broadly share the theoretical basis of classical psychoanalysis, the same happens with the techniques and methods.

Thus, they are often used characteristic techniques such as free association, the analysis of dreams, the identification and deactivation of defense mechanisms and the interpretation of transference and countertransference.

Depending on the intervention we are talking about, and even on the specific therapist, the techniques will have a more or less eclectic character; It is important to note that many psychodynamic therapists today use techniques developed within the framework of other theoretical orientations, such as the exhibition or the chair empty.

The attitude of the psychodynamic therapist tends to be less rigid than that of the psychoanalytic. Although in many cases we try to comply with the abstinence rule, the modernization of psychoanalytic proposals has led to a general relaxation of the therapeutic relationship within the framework of psychodynamic therapies.

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