Therapies of depth, including psychoanalytic psychotherapy, are evidence-based approaches which examine the unconscious processes of the patient, as well as the complexities that unfold in the therapeutic dyad between the individual and the therapist.

While the work in sessions may address many complex issues, the cardinal directive to the individual is relatively simple: Just talk about what comes to your mind.

The frequency and consistence of sessions offers a sense of stability as the individual explores the meaning of life events and important relationships.

Individuals may seek this longer term or more intensive treatment when other forms of brief or cognitively oriented therapies have not fully addressed their concerns.

Individuals also may seek psychoanalytic psychotherapy as they recognize their relationships have been strained or conflicted or their desires for connection and relatedness has left or are drastically reduced.

During our earliest and most vulnerable and impressionable years of life, we are dependent on others for our survival and growth. The complex, ongoing interactions with our early caregivers and other family members lead us to develop emotional and behavioral “templates” that we carry forward to later adult relationships.

These templates for relationship interactions are stored in our internal, largely unconscious psyches. Those earliest interactions with our family members and caregivers are powerful influences in forming our personalities and patterns of relating to others.

A depth therapy approach takes time to uncover and understand those patterns and the early memories and the feelings in our experiences. The patterns may contain conflicted feelings about others or about oneself which the individual has struggled with for years.

Coming to understand and “work through” those relationship and emotional struggles within the frame of the therapy relationship releases the person from anxieties, depressive states, and other unfavorable emotional and behavioral reactions that affect current daily functioning. This therapy can also lead to insights that alleviate a variety of self-defeating behaviors, many of which derive from unstable or troubled early life attachments.

This intensive approach involves frequent sessions (usually starting at two and increasing up to four to five times per week). It is a premier form of treatment for those who seek an understanding of the roots of deep and painful emotional distress.

There are no quick-fix solutions for these types of emotional pain. The rewards of this intensive work are numerous. Individuals may find that work goals, relationships with others, and their own relationship and feelings about themselves gain clarity, purpose, and a deep sense of calm over time.

While this type of treatment takes time, patience, and persistent, those who have participated in intensive psychoanalytic psychotherapy find that the investment yields a life that is richer, more meaningful, and more peaceful.