My Approach to Therapy
Understanding ourselves more fully, including the parts that can be difficult to recognize on our own
What is Psychodynamic Psychotherapy?
Psychodynamic psychotherapy is based on the idea that we are not always fully aware of everything happening in our own minds. Feelings, wishes, fears, and expectations can be difficult to recognize or put into words, while still exerting influence over how we experience ourselves and relate to others.
Psychodynamic therapy approaches symptoms with curiosity about what they might mean. The ways we cope with difficult feelings often develop for understandable reasons, and patterns that now cause problems may have emerged as ways to manage difficult experiences. Understanding how these patterns developed and what continues to sustain them can open up new possibilities for change.
Many of these patterns take shape in our relationships with others, making relationships an important place to understand them. The therapeutic relationship can be especially useful in this process. Some of the same patterns that arise in other relationships frequently emerge in therapy, which provides us with an opportunity to notice and reflect on them together as they occur.
Over time, becoming more aware of these experiences can deepen our understanding of ourselves and give us more flexibility in how we relate to others and respond to the challenges we encounter.
What is Transference Focused Psychotherapy?
Transference Focused Psychotherapy (TFP) is a form of psychodynamic therapy originally developed for people with borderline personality disorder. It has since been used with people experiencing a broader range of personality, identity, and relationship difficulties.
TFP focuses on recurring patterns in how we experience ourselves and other people, particularly when strong emotions are involved. These patterns can shape our sense of who we are, what we expect from others, and how we respond in relationships.
Much of the work in TFP involves paying attention to how these same patterns emerge in the relationship with the therapist. Therapy gives us a chance to recognize and understand these patterns as they unfold in the room, rather than relying only on accounts of what has happened in other relationships. Seeing them firsthand can help us understand feelings, expectations, and reactions that may otherwise be difficult to recognize.
Over time, the goal is to develop a fuller and more integrated understanding of ourselves and others. This can contribute to a more stable sense of self and more satisfying relationships.
What is Mentalization Based Treatment?
Mentalizing is our ability to make sense of our own behavior and the behavior of others in terms of underlying thoughts, feelings, wishes, and intentions. It involves being curious about what is happening in our own minds while also recognizing that we can never know with complete certainty what is happening in someone else’s.
Mentalization Based Treatment (MBT) is a form of psychotherapy that focuses on strengthening this capacity. Mentalizing tends to become difficult when emotions run high, particularly in relationships that matter to us. In these moments, we may become very certain about another person’s intentions, have trouble making sense of our own reactions, or act before we have had a chance to understand what is happening.
MBT involves slowing these moments down and looking more closely at what was happening in our own mind and in the interaction. Therapist and patient work together to consider different possibilities rather than assuming there is a single correct explanation. Misunderstandings, strong reactions, and moments when it becomes difficult to understand ourselves or another person can become especially useful things to explore.
Over time, the aim is to make it easier to remain curious about our own experience and the experience of others, even when emotions are intense. This can help us understand our reactions more clearly, navigate misunderstandings, and respond more flexibly in relationships.