Also called depth psychology, psychoanalysis is the most intensive and thorough psychotherapeutic process there is in modern mental health.

The word psychoanalysis literally means investigation into the essence, nature, structure and organization of the soul—the body-mind, the personality. Recognizing that the soul heals and grows slowly, psychoanalysis typically involves multiple sessions per week, and honors the healing process by taking all the time that is needed. It is also, therefore, non-directive. Often called the “talking cure” (which is distinct from what is often generalized as “talk therapy”), psychoanalysis is also a listening cure. We follow associations, dreams and daydreams as a way of listening deeply to how the unconscious—the thoughts, emotions, wishes, relationships, and experiences that we’re not aware of—are affecting and even structuring the thoughts, emotions, wishes, relationships and experiences that we are consciously aware of.

Does Psychoanalysis Work? What Does the Research Say?

Research shows that psychoanalysis and psychodynamic psychotherapy, in 40 or fewer sessions, achieve results comparable to symptom-focused modalities, including cognitive behavioral therapy. Over longer treatment periods, the benefits of psychoanalysis and psychodynamic therapy multiply, while symptom-focused treatment benefits tend to level off. Similar studies have shown that psychoanalysis and psychodynamic therapy not only last longer, those benefits often increase even after treatment ends. The self-understanding gained in psychoanalysis is deep in the sense that it brings benefits that keep on giving in multiple dimensions of life.