The Process of Therapeutic Change: What Happens in Psychoanalysis?

"All we can do, and it's a great deal, is set the stage for change. To repeat, my therapeutic algorithm consists of a fixed and contained frame, a deconstructive inquiry which potentiates defenses and leads to a much augmented version of the patient's operations in the relationship with the therapist."

"It is there that the working-through takes place, for me not a simple clarification of dynamics, but a very complex, analogic experience which we can comment on, but never fully grasp conceptually."

Setting the Stage for Change

In my practice, I view the therapeutic relationship as a laboratory for understanding how you operate in the world. Change is not merely an intellectual exercise—it is a lived experience that occurs within the safety of the clinical frame.

• The Clinical Frame: Maintaining a consistent and contained environment that allows for deep exploration.
• Deconstructive Inquiry: Gently questioning established patterns of thinking and behaving to uncover the underlying defenses.
• The Working-Through: The gradual process of experiencing and re-experiencing patterns within the therapy, allowing for new, healthier responses to emerge.

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