The reasons people seek psychotherapy vary from person to person, but there are often feelings of dissatisfaction with some aspect of their life. It may be that they are asking difficult questions about who they are, why their personal or professional relationships are not satisfactory or why life feels dull or meaningless. There can also be symptoms such as anxiety, worry, sadness, hopelessness, insomnia or stress that leads to seeking psychotherapy.
Using a psychodynamic approach symptoms and problems are seen as intrinsically meaningful, that is, that they have something important to tell us. Furthermore, this approach suggests that experiences early in life affect how we see ourselves and the world around us and how we deal with later problems. My task in therapy is to listen to the story you share with me through your spoken words, your emotional and your physical expressions and help you develop new insight. Together we make sense of what has surfaced and you can begin to develop new feelings, thoughts and behaviours. By understanding the connection between what you have experienced in life and the problems you face today, this can lead to new behavioural patterns and an increased ability to make healthy choices in your life. You develop the ability to have control over your life and no longer be constrained by your history.
Research has shown that the relationship between therapist and patient is the factor that contributes most to change and I put great emphasis on that particular aspect. We work together in the relationship within the context of a safe and respectful framework. I adhere to patient confidentiality.
Looking forward and building on strengths and abilities are an equally important part of the therapeutic process as looking back to understand the origin of the problems. Also learning to stay in the moment and dare to experience the feelings and sensations that are there, it is also central to therapy. Thus the therapeutic process moves between past – present – future in a constant and recurring flow.