Psychoanalysis and Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy
Psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic psychotherapy are two forms of treatment that share the same roots, the same spirit, and the same essential conviction: that our experiences shape us, that much of that shaping happens outside of our knowing, and that seeking to understand it shifts something within us.
To me, psychoanalysis is not about receiving advice, or being diagnosed, or being told what to do differently. It is a sustained, collaborative inquiry into your inner life, your patterns, your wishes, your fears, and the stories you secretly 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 myself to the work: my attention, my reactions, and my genuine curiosity. However, this is your space and the focus remains on you.
