Source: The Institute of Contemporary Psychoanalysis

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Psychoanalysis began with the work of Sigmund Freud but has evolved and changed over the years to incorporate the contributions and work of many. By focusing on the relationship with the analyst, contemporary psychoanalysis creates an intensity of experience that often leads to transformation. It is an interpersonal experience that emphasizes the healing properties of two or more people collaboratively making sense of life in ways that are meaningful to the client. Unlike traditional psychoanalysis which holds the analyst as an authority regarding what is true about the client, current perspectives emphasize the meaning of the client’s unique and subjective experiences.

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Contemporary psychoanalysis is effective and in-depth, requiring sessions multiple times per week to inspire dynamic results. Meeting twice or more per week helps access traction on complex issues and allows us to slow down and thoughtfully process experiences in a comprehensive way that honors past and psychic influences. 

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Based on current psychoanalytic studies plus research in child development, memory, neuro-biology, and culture, contemporary psychoanalysis is an advanced method for making sense of ourselves and the world around us. Today, psychoanalysis is as strikingly different from Freudian analysis as modern physics is from the work of Newton. In contemporary psychoanalytic approaches, the analyst is always participating in the therapeutic situation and, therefore, works to understand the patterns of relating between client and analyst.

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