The set of therapies that we know as “psychoanalysis” has branched out enormously since Freud created his famous psychoanalytic-type cure, which many people still misconceive as an archetype of clinical psychology.

In this article we will analyze the theoretical bases, the currents and the main techniques of psychodynamic therapy , a group of interventions based on the contributions of authors who developed and questioned Freudian psychoanalysis in order to maximize the usefulness of its tools.

What is psychodynamic therapy?

The psychodynamic therapies, also known as psychodynamic psychotherapies , are therapeutic approaches that are based on the theoretical contributions of classical psychoanalysis, represented by Sigmund Freud, and/or of its most recent developments.

Although both currents have a very close conceptual anchorage, psychodynamic therapy differs from the psychoanalytic type of cure in several key aspects. Among these , the greater brevity of the interventions , the lesser intensity of the treatment, the multiplicity of therapeutic focuses and the relative emphasis on scientific validation stand out.

It is difficult to establish clear boundaries between psychodynamic therapies and other interventions within the framework of psychoanalysis, since there are a large number of different therapies; however, the above criteria are often used as indicators of the proximity of a treatment to the construct “psychodynamic therapy”.

Theoretical basis

Like the rest of its developments, psychodynamic therapies share the focus of classical psychoanalysis on the importance of unconscious processes for behaviour , thoughts and emotions. Since unconscious variables are conceived as fundamental determinants of behavior, treatment should focus on them.

The symptoms of neurosis, historical focus of psychoanalysis, are understood from these orientations as “compromise solutions” to the conflict between unconscious impulses and moral self demands, to which Freud gave the metaphorical name “Overself”.

Another central aspect of psychoanalytic theory is the fact that personality is formed during childhood depending on how basic needs are met. Since personal history is always unique, each person is different from the others and requires individualized treatment.

Those who practice these therapies usually defend that their objective is for the client to get to know his true self; this requires a deep analysis of the personality. However, psychodynamic therapies in general are characterized by their greater focus on the person’s current problems , compared to the psychoanalytic type of cure.

Thus, we could say that psychodynamic therapies are those that attempt to adapt the principles of psychoanalysis, whether that of Freud or of the theorists who followed him, to the context of modern psychotherapy. Moreover, this type of intervention tries to add the emphasis on the individual and his unconscious to the contributions of other psychological currents.

Streams of psychodynamic therapy

Although the approaches to psychodynamic therapy are as wide as there are variants and, as we have said, it is not always possible to distinguish them from the classical forms of psychoanalysis, we can differentiate three main currents within the framework we are dealing with.

Neofreudian therapy

Authors such as Carl Jung, Alfred Adler, Karen Horney, Harry Stack Sullivan, Erich Fromm, Wilhelm Reich, and Sándor Ferenczi are often classified as “neo-Freudians” because they extended Freud’s theories by critiquing key aspects of his work, such as the emphasis on child sexuality, the concept of death drive, or the lack of attention to the psychosocial.

Neofreudian therapy is based on the revisions made by one or more of these authors to the teacher’s postulates. From Neofreudism, as from the analytical tradition of the Self, the role of the Self and the conscious is emphasized in front of the almost exclusive focus of classical psychoanalysis on the Self and the unconscious.

2. Psychoanalytic tradition of the Self

This concept encompasses two closely related schools: the psychology of the self, developed in the United States and represented by Anna Freud, Heinz Hartmann or Erik Erikson, and the theory of object relations , a British orientation in which Melanie Klein, Donald Winnicott or Ronald Fairbairn stand out.

These currents put the mental representation we make of our interpersonal relationships at the center of the intervention. More attention is paid to the present than in Freudian psychoanalysis, and priority is given to the direct analysis of the therapeutic relationship over that of transference.

3. Psychoanalytic psychotherapies

Psychoanalytic psychotherapies are considered to be all those that are based on the theoretical postulates of the psychodynamic tradition but that do not derive their methods of intervention from the psychoanalytic type of cure . These therapies are very varied but tend to be characterized by their brevity and by their adaptation to different types of psychological difficulties.

Among the best known psychoanalytic psychotherapies are brief dynamic psychotherapy, inspired by the contributions of Ferenczi and Otto Rank, brief anxiety-provoking psychotherapy by Siphneos, time-limited psychotherapy by Mann, and the technique of deactivation of the unconscious by Davanloo.

Methodology and techniques

Psychodynamic therapies focus on revealing the unconscious conflicts that determine the client’s current problems by such a solution. Since these interventions broadly share the theoretical basis of classical psychoanalysis, the same is true of the techniques and methods.

Thus, characteristic techniques such as free association , dream analysis, identification and deactivation of defence mechanisms and interpretation of transference and countertransference are often used.

Depending on the intervention we are talking about, and even on the specific therapist, the techniques will have a more or less eclectic character; it is important to take into account that many psychodynamic therapists today use techniques developed within the framework of other theoretical orientations, such as the exhibition or the empty chair.

The attitude of the psychodynamic therapist tends to be less rigid than that of the psychoanalytic. Although in many cases the rule of abstinence is tried to be fulfilled , the modernization of the proposals of psychoanalysis has led to a general flexibilization of the therapeutic relationship within the framework of psychodynamic therapies.