Why and when should I seek help?

Although the topic of consulting qith a specialist in the field of mental health is still sometimes related to a risk of stigmatization, modern societies clearly realize that at some point everyone can experience psychological problems and therefore want to change and enrich their lives.

   People often ask themselves when it is appropriate to seek consultation with such a professional. All the usual reasons to think about such a possibility are valid. Problems do not have to be severe and catastrophic to justify the first call. Many people do relatively well at work or in their family, but feel internally tense, troubled or dissatisfied. Being worried about long-term internal conflicts or just being curious about how your mind works are quite adequate reasons to consult with a mental health professional.

   The most common reasons for scheduling a consultation are the following:

• We have personal problems: we do not feel "comfortable in our skin", we feel insecure, afraid of different things, anxious, depressed or tense; we feel that something is not going right, something is preventing us from feeling well.

• When we experience difficult moments: prolonged illness, mourning, separation, failure, etc.

• When we have difficulties in relationships with others: intimate partners, family, friends, colleagues, when we feel alone or isolated.

• When we suffer from physical symptoms without a clear medical reason, etc.

 

Will psychotherapy help me?

Numerous studies show convincingly that psychotherapy is a good tool that can help a person develop and overcome difficulties. It is important to be aware, however, that there is no miracle recipe or ready-made solution that can be applied immediately and effortlessly. The success of psychotherapy depends on the quality of the collaboration between patient and therapist. It is usually not a short-term treatment, as it aims not just for momentary relief, but for a more complete change in the quality of life, which often unfolds and makes sense in the years following its completion.

   Since psychotherapy is most often an individualized form of treatment, people who would like to know if they can benefit from it should seek initial consultation with a specialist. Whatever the problem, its causes can only be understood in the context of the particular patient's life situation.

 

With whom can I consult?

A psychotherapist is usually a psychologist or psychiatrist offering therapeutic services. Outside of the academic education, this specialist is required to go through several years of training in one or more forms of psychotherapy of choice (group, family, individual, etc.). To ensure patient safety, the psychotherapist should participate in or be a candidate member of various professional associations with strict requirements.

 

Initial consultation

The initial consultation aims to build a comprehensive assessment of the patient's difficulties and to offer opportunities for psychotherapeutic help. They are aimed at supporting and stimulating the patient's interest in his inner world. Usually these initial consultations are between two and four, after which the therapist shares his understanding of the patient's difficulties and offers possibilities for therapeutic work. The patient can benefit from consultation without committing to a long-term therapeutic process.

 

Psychoanalysis

Psychoanalysis is a form of intensive psychotherapy based on the belief that factors beyond our consciousness have a profound effect on our behavior. These factors (beliefs about us and other people, unconscious desires and fantasies) are often related to the difficulties that motivate patients to seek treatment. Precisely because these factors are unconscious, the advice of friends or family, reading self-help books, or even the most determined attempts at change do not always bring enough relief.

   Psychoanalysis is designed for people whose lives are generally stable; people who have achieved some success in their work and relationships, but for whom fuller life satisfaction or relief of painful symptoms (depression, anxiety, sexual difficulties or physical complaints without a medical reason) have proved unattainable.

   Patients in psychoanalysis typically attend four sessions a week and are encouraged to lie on a couch. The frequency of the sessions and the use of the couch are designed to help the patient explore in depth his or her inner mental life, without censorship and regardless of what is socially appropriate. Dreams, fantasies, memories and experiences in relationships and work, as well as reactions to the analyst are common topics during analytical treatment. By exploring these topics as well as repetitive patterns of behavior, thinking, and feeling in the patient's life, the analyst manages to create and share assumptions about underlying, unconscious motivations and their relationship to current difficulties. In the course of the analysis, by playing such models over and over again and discussing them in the sessions, the common understanding of the patient's difficulties is deepened.

   Psychoanalysis can be seen as a close partnership, in the course of which the patient realizes the roots of his or her difficulties not only intellectually but also emotionally. From the outset, the patient and the analyst work together to create a secure and trusting relationship that allows the patient to experience aspects of their inner life that have been hidden so far because they are painful, embarrassing, or provocative. In this way, patients begin to feel that they are developing greater awareness and control over their lives, leading to an expanded set of choices at work and in relationships, and ultimately to a more stable, positive experience for themselves.

   The decision to start psychoanalysis is not an easy one because it requires a significant commitment over time. There are various ways to deal with emotional problems. Some of them, such as medication, have a relatively rapid effect on sadness, anger, anxiety, impaired concentration and sleep, but show limited capacity to affect the causes behind our thoughts and feelings. As research clearly shows, there is also a significant group of people who have also tried medication, but to no avail.

   Psychoanalysis is an approach to understanding inner life that is not quick and particularly easy. However, many people believe that it was precisely this kind of treatment which provided them with help and relief that they have not been able to find anywhere else.

 

Psychoanalytic psychotherapy

Psychoanalytic therapy is based on the same principles as psychoanalysis, but differs in at least two main points: patients attend sessions less often (once or twice a week), and sit face to face with the therapist.

   The choice between psychotherapy or psychoanalysis depends on the initial consultations, which take into account the nature and severity of the patient's difficulties, the current life situation, external life factors and more. This is a decision that is made together with the patient.

 

How much do psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic therapy cost?

The price of the sessions is agreed between the analyst and the patient. This cost should be acceptable to the patient so as not to significantly limit the rest of life, but at the same time it is clear that it cannot be too low in a long-term therapeutic work.