“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
─ James Baldwin
Psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis is a collaborative treatment that utilizes the relationship between the analysand (you) and the analyst (me) to bring about deep and lasting change. It is a long-term, in-depth and intensive form of psychotherapy that requires commitment — temporal, financial and emotional.
It is generally expected that you would be able to meet during agreed hours (and for a duration), pay the agreed-upon fee and be invested emotionally in getting to know yourself.
The latter is, perhaps, the most challenging part of the process, as it requires honesty (first and foremost, with oneself) about one’s own feelings, ideas and actions, facing which can at times be difficult and painful. This is made more bearable by the caring presence, attentive listening and mindful interventions (such as interpretations) by the analyst.
The task of the analyst is to listen to and address whatever you are not aware of — that is, the unconscious dimensions of your emotions, thoughts and behaviors, as well as to find connections between them. This is so, because, stated simply, you wouldn’t need an analyst, if you were already aware of the causes of your suffering.
The ultimate goal of a psychoanalysis is to help you to “know thyself” and to “become who you are”, so that you could lead a more authentic, joyful and free life.