There are many people who suffer psychic suffering. It may be for a clear and concrete reason, or the person may not know how to define what that suffering is and it may not be for something specific. And no less important are the people who try to remedy it on their own or by asking for help, but do not succeed. And so they live trapped in suffering, or going out and tripping over the same stone again and again.

In this attempt to live better, many patients arrive at the therapy office who consider that they know the theory but do not manage to put it into practice . What do you think is happening in these cases? Do you think it is a question of lack of motivation, of not having enough willpower, of some kind of deficiency…?

Going Beyond Theory to Feel Good

Generally, whoever considers going to a psychoanalyst’s office, besides the fact that something is happening to him that makes him suffer, has the suspicion that it has something to do with him, with his way of thinking and doing things, even though he is not aware of it. It is precisely the effectiveness of psychoanalysis that is sustained by the gain in freedom that comes from separating oneself from those psychic constructions that we have developed since childhood and which no longer serve us, and which are preventing us from enjoying life and unfolding other possibilities. This invisible entanglement is the main obstacle between theory and practice.

But in the age in which we live, much value is placed on the objectifiable and there is hardly any room for the subjective or intangible, which is not why it does not exist.

That is why is not about putting more effort into accumulating theory or knowledge . It is about making the experience of analysis an experience of being, and that will have the effect of making the patient’s life flow differently.

What to expect from a psychoanalytic treatment?

Explaining what psychoanalysis is would be too complex for such an article. To make it more understandable what it is about, I think it is simpler to start by talking about what psychoanalysis is not. So I will comment on some aspects that you are sure not to find when you go to a psychoanalyst.

There are no questionnaires to fill out, no tests to pass, no assessment to receive, no to-do list to keep, no self-registration. Neither are they didactic or motivational talks , nor does the psychoanalyst say what has to be done. The psychoanalyst doesn’t scold, doesn’t judge, doesn’t give advice, doesn’t make decisions for you, doesn’t get upset with you. The psychoanalyst directs the cure but does not direct the patient’s conscience or actions.

The development of the sessions is a work of two. The psychoanalyst does his job, and the patient has to do his. The psychoanalyst offers a unique place to the subject’s words, he listens in the best possible way so that it can be found, thought of, listened to. It is a space to talk about what makes one suffer, to know why and what we do things for .

That requires a lot of involvement and a commitment, which on the part of the patient, has little to do with just complaining or venting. The things said in the presence of the analyst produce a different resonance, and one becomes aware of things that he knew but that went unnoticed.

How long does the treatment last?

As it is not a standard cure, nor selling certainty and guarantees so fashionable nowadays, (of the type: in 8 sessions we guarantee results), as it is more of a very handmade work in the sense of very personalized and elaborated, the hurry plays a thin favor. Time will have to be what it should be, and at the unique pace of each patient we will build a path that is more peaceful to travel. It is not a short treatment, nor is it endless, the end of the analysis will come, if the patient has not abandoned the treatment, when he has elaborated his conflicts and is satisfied.

Of course, it is an experience that does not leave those who decide to do it indifferent. It brings a knowledge of oneself and a way of thinking that will remain forever. And not only that, promotes everything that is more on the side of life .

With the sole tool of words comes what many would call magic, the twist that makes one more friendly and the world less inhospitable. Because, the human being, besides being made of muscles, bones, organs… is made of words.