01/06/2025
Recently, I was asked a question: They say it takes a very long time to see the benefits of psychodynamic therapy. What, in your opinion, makes this method so effective that you prefer to work with it instead of CBT?
This post was born from that very question. I hope my perspective will also shed light on your questions.
While psychodynamic therapy is sometimes seen as a long-term approach, this is not always the case. Short-term and focused psychodynamic models are also well-established and effective. When therapy lasts for a longer period, the emphasis shifts from the symptom itself to understanding and addressing the underlying psychological roots that contribute to it. CBT and other time-limited interventions can be highly effective, especially for specific issues such as phobias, panic attacks, and behavioral difficulties. I fully recognize the clinical value of these approaches and refer patients to them when appropriate. It is crucial to focus on patients' needs and what they benefit most.
That said, I feel most aligned with therapeutic approaches that promote a gradual engagement with a person’s internal world, their defense mechanisms, unconscious conflicts, and the emotional history they bring into relationships. This method allows us to connect with the person not only through their symptoms but through the full complexity of their psychological life.
From the early years of my clinical journey to today, I have repeatedly witnessed the remarkable capacity of the human psyche for change and inner transformation. Psychodynamic therapy provides a space to focus not just on behavior but also on past relational experiences, unconscious wishes and fears, internal patterns of relating, and the deeper architecture of personality. The goal is not merely symptom relief but also a deeper self-understanding and the emergence of new internal configurations that are more flexible, integrated, and self-sustaining.
In this process, the therapeutic relationship becomes a meaningful, stable, and trustworthy point of connection. To witness someone gradually come into closer contact with themselves, develop a more coherent sense of self, and cultivate more authentic relationships is, for me, one of the most profoundly meaningful aspects of being a therap*st, both professionally and personally.
