Some of the many reasons people seek help
The reasons why people seek help are many and varied. In the clinic the therapist listens to the client describe the symptom or problem which the person brings. The therapist listens to the client speak about their life, work, family, community; not just about their presenting condition or symptom. However it is the underlying factors (which may be unconscious) which may render the symptom or difficulty unmanageable. So while a feeling of 'being low' or 'a phobia' may be the symptom, it is the complete person who is affected. Psychoanalysis treats the individual, not the symptom. These are some of the typical symptoms that we see and treat frequently in the clinic:
Stress and Anxiety
Anxiety, stress and tension are the biggest limiting factors in the achievement of our goals and desires. Humans manage fear very well - we learn how to manage the source of our fear or avoid the object we are frightened of. However with anxiety or stress we cannot easily identify the triggers and our emotions seem to be all consuming, overwhelming - too big to grasp, often leading to panic attacks. Psychoanalysis allows us to identify these unconscious objects or things which cause the anxiety or stress, so that we become more aware of the triggers over time, allowing our normal defence mechanisms to operate.
Depression and Lack of Self-worth.
Depression and mourning are closely allied and the devastating sense of pain and loss experienced can have many similarities. We see an essential analogy between depression and the mourning process where the common factor is the loss of something or someone precious, the "loved object", the important career, the promotional opportunity. Just like when a loved one dies, in depression it seems like part of ourselves has also died. At such times we often tend to devalue and rebuke ourselves and our sense of self- worth is adversely affected. Psychoanalysis over time offers the opportunity to work through the sense of loss and by exploring dreams, wishes and desires acts as a new way of identifying with the world and presents a new impetus to live.
OCD - Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
OCD is a very complex and debilitating disorder. Why do some people need to repeat actions which apparently make no sense? We can help you make sense of your OCD and its underlying unconscious anxieties, desires and fears. In this way psychoanalysis allows you the freedom to manage your symptom, by gaining a greater appreciation of what may lie behind it.
Grief Mourning and loss
A death or a bereavement of any sort, such as moving abroad to work or sustaining a scar in an accident, can lead to complicated grief. It is normal to experience a major loss as a traumatic event, or to experience trauma as a loss of freedom. In these cases emotions can become overwhelming leading to insomnia, despair, anger, depression and thoughts of suicide. Talking to a therapist can be helpful in resolving the internal conflict associated with grief, loss and mourning.
Change Management
Humans do not like change. Workplace issues, retirement, redundancy, a new job specification or any of a myriad of other social factors can influence our psychical well- being. Issues do not just arise from the workplace, but may be influenced by a sport's club, a personal relationship or any change in circumstances. These do not necessarily need to be negative. A promotion at work or moving from school to college may be the trigger for a period of uncertainty. In any of these instances talking to a trained therapist can be extremely helpful.
Relationship Issues
All relationships are ambivalent, containing elements of love and hate. Most of the time we can cope with these relationship challenges, but there are times when consulting with a therapist allows us to explore how these feelings of ambivalence are manifesting in the relationship, so that over time we can appreciate how our thoughts and behaviour are affecting our relationships.
