Psychoanalysis and Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy
Psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic psychotherapy are two forms of treatment that share the same foundation: that our early experiences shape us, that much of that shaping happens outside of our awareness, and that seeking to understand what is just outside of out awareness shifts something within.
To me psychoanalysis is less about receiving advice or being told what to do differently. Instead it is a process, a collaborative inquiry into your inner life, your patterns, your wishes, your fears, and the stories you carry about who you are and how the world works. This work creates the conditions for those unseen forces to come closer to the surface, and for those patterns we are trapped in to loosen some of their grip.
Relational Psychoanalysis
My theoretical orientation is what the field of psychoanalysis calls “relational.” What this means is that I do not think of myself as a blank canvas or a neutral or objective observer. I am a person in the room with you, affected by you, curious about you, and, most importantly, changed by the encounter just as you are. Relational psychoanalysis holds that our history and our relational patterns emerge through our relationships and that transformation happens in the same place it was first needed: between people. I bring to the work, my attention, my reactions, my genuine curiosity, and myself. However, this is your space and the focus remains on you.
