Psychoanalysis began as the first talking cure with the patient lying on the couch saying what comes into their mind and the analyst listening with close attention to the meaning, feelings and inferences of what it all means to the patient. We now all live with Freud’s discovery of unconscious feelings, fantasies and beliefs. Being ‘psychoanalysed’ can bring to mind fears of being taken apart or being driven crazy. It can also evoke hope in the possibility of relief, of being understood and of change. Both preconceptions have important truths in them. Psychoanalysis can help but it does not provide a cure. It can be so deep that it can change people’s lives. It can also be a great disappointment. It is best to approach psychoanalysis with an open mind.

A psychoanalysis is a big commitment of time, an investment of money, and it takes courage and curiosity to embark on a process of finding out what is in your mind, how you think and feel and discovering or waking up parts of yourself you might not have known about. It brings with it fears and anxieties, hopelessness and the reliving of painful past experiences.  

The way our personal constitution combines with our early experiences as a baby and a child, our family environment and our social experiences mostly leads to the development of an adult life in which we make the best of what we have, to love and work, to change what we can and make a contribution. But our development can also be blocked and leave us stuck. Perhaps we are self destructive. We can fail in our relationships or in our work. Loss can be overwhelming. Depression and anxiety can become too much and leave us feeling disabled and ill.

The point of psychoanalysis and of becoming a patient is to give ourselves the chance of help to unravel this stuckness, come to know it better and release a capacity for choosing how we live.  A successful analysis does not lead to immunity from life’s difficulties, but it does help us find balance, satisfaction, robustness in the face of adversity and the capacity to recover. Freud’s discoveries of how we are influenced by the unconscious mind helps to find sense and meaning and a better relationship with reality.  

Although psychoanalysis begins with the patient experience, its understanding and ideas apply in all human situations, social, cultural, and institutional. It helps us understand how human beings live and work together and can be useful in many fields including in less intensive therapies. We call it ‘application’ and analysts work, write and teach in many places.     

A psychoanalysis is generally only to be found with a properly qualified psychoanalyst trained with either of the two main societies, recognised by the International Psychoanalytic Association in the UK. It takes four or five sessions per week, of 50 mins and involves lying on a couch. Fees have some flexibility, and it is common for psychoanalysts to recognise the different financial resources of patients, but an average fee would be in the range of £60 - £100 per session. The length of an analysis varies, but it would normally take years, not months and it is common to last more than 4 years. All psychoanalysts are registered with the British Psychoanalytic Council, the regulatory body for psychoanalytic psychotherapists recognised by the Professional Standards Authority.  

You can find an analyst of this Society via the link below. We offer a low fee analysis through the Clinic of Psychoanalysis which is a charity. If you want to find out more what a psychoanalysis is like, the account by Stephen Grosz in his best seller, ‘An Examined Life’ gives a good idea. Analysts do have different approaches which have developed and deepened with time and experience, but the core which derives from Freud has remained much the same. Feel free to find one for you.