Life can be overwhelming. From persistent anxiety to the lingering effects of trauma, depression, or even challenges like eating disorders and relationship struggles, the obstacles we face can feel insurmountable. But you don’t have to face these challenges alone. Therapy — in particular the depth-oriented approaches of psychodynamic psychotherapy and psychoanalysis — offers a path to understanding, healing, and growth.
Options for mental health therapy range from short-term treatment such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) to longer-term treatment like psychodynamic psychotherapy or psychoanalysis. I’ve found that longer-term, depth-oriented treatment provides a longer-lasting and more meaningful result and leaves patients feeling more empowered to deal with future stressors, but I also incorporate some CBT and other supportive techniques into my treatment as needed.
This page explores some common mental health challenges and how psychodynamic treatment uniquely addresses them.
Therapy for Anxiety
Anxiety manifests in various forms: general unease, constant worry, physical symptoms like a racing heart, or even debilitating panic attacks. Anxiety can interfere with daily life, relationships, and work. While some treatment styles focus just on symptom reduction, psychodynamic psychotherapy takes a more comprehensive approach, addressing the root causes of anxiety to foster long-term relief.
Psychodynamic psychotherapy explores the unconscious factors driving anxiety, such as unresolved conflicts, suppressed emotions, or early relational patterns. By bringing these hidden dynamics to light, patients gain a deeper understanding of themselves and their triggers. Unlike cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), which often focuses on reframing thought patterns, psychodynamic therapy delves into the “why” behind those patterns, creating more sustainable change. This alleviates symptoms of anxiety, but more importantly equips patients with the insight and resilience needed to face future stressors with confidence.
Treatment for Trauma and Emotional Pain
Trauma, whether from a single event or ongoing emotional pain, leaves deep psychological scars. Symptoms might include flashbacks, emotional numbness, or difficulty trusting others. Addressing trauma requires more than symptom management. It demands an approach that helps patients process and integrate these painful experiences in a safe, supportive environment.
Psychodynamic psychotherapy excels in this area by focusing on how trauma has shaped a patient’s emotional and relational world. This approach creates a space where patients can safely explore their feelings, uncover hidden memories, and begin to reconstruct their narratives in an emotionally secure long-term relationship with their therapist.
In contrast to brief, solution-focused modalities, psychodynamic therapy emphasizes the long-term impact of healing. Patients not only process their traumatic experiences but also develop greater emotional resilience and a renewed sense of self. This depth-oriented work often leads to profound, life-changing results and the ability to move forward in their lives.
Treatment for Depression
Depression can feel like a heavy, unshakable weight or a persistent feeling of emptiness. Symptoms might include sadness, fatigue, loss of interest in activities, or feelings of worthlessness. While other therapies might focus purely on symptom relief, psychodynamic treatment relieves symptoms while also building an understanding of the deeper emotional patterns contributing to depression. This leads to more lasting recovery.
The psychodynamic approach helps patients identify unresolved grief, chronic self-criticism, childhood traumas, or other unconscious factors fueling their depression. By exploring these underlying issues, patients gain clarity about their emotions and learn how to break free from destructive patterns. Over time, they build emotional strength, self-compassion, and a renewed sense of purpose.
Psychodynamic psychotherapy also addresses relational dynamics, helping patients understand how their interactions with others might perpetuate feelings of inadequacy or loneliness. Where short-term treatments focus on changing behaviors to resolve immediate symptoms, psychodynamic work fosters a deeper transformation that allows patients to experience genuine and enduring relief and avoid future relapses into depression. I’ve seen real success incorporating elements of CBT into my psychodynamic work on depression.
Supporting Eating Disorders with Compassion
Eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia aren’t just about food; they’re often tied to deeper emotional struggles, such as feelings of control, inadequacy, and even maturational changes in the body. Psychodynamic therapy addresses these underlying emotional conflicts, offering patients a path toward self-understanding and recovery.
While behavioral approaches that focus on healthier eating habits are necessary and should be incorporated into a full treatment plan, psychodynamic therapy investigates the emotional and relational factors that drive the disorder. Patients explore how family dynamics, societal pressures, or past experiences have influenced their self-perception. Such insight allows them to rebuild a healthier and sustainable relationship with food through a better relationship with themselves.
The psychodynamic relationship plays a pivotal role in this process. By fostering a safe, nonjudgmental environment, long-term therapy helps patients confront difficult emotions and develop greater self-compassion. Over time, this work can lead to a profound growth of self-worth and long-term recovery.
Navigating Relationship Issues
Relationship challenges often stem from unexamined and unhealthy patterns of behavior or communication. Whether dealing with trust issues, frequent conflict, or emotional distance, therapy provides a space to explore these dynamics and develop healthier ways of relating.
Psychodynamic psychotherapy is uniquely suited to address relationship issues because it focuses on understanding the unconscious dynamics that influence how we connect with others. Patients learn to recognize patterns rooted in past experiences, such as attachment styles or unresolved conflicts, and how these affect their current relationships.
Compared to solution-focused approaches that might offer communication strategies, psychodynamic therapy helps patients achieve a deeper transformation. By addressing the root causes of relational struggles, patients can form more authentic, fulfilling, and long-lasting connections.
Managing Stress and Grief
Stress and grief are universal experiences, but when they become overwhelming they can affect every aspect of life. Psychodynamic therapy helps patients build resilience, process loss, and find meaning amidst life’s challenges.
Unlike short-term treatments that might focus on immediate stress relief, psychodynamic therapy explores the underlying emotional responses to stress and grief. Patients gain insight into how past experiences shape their reactions and learn healthier ways to cope in the present. This process not only alleviates current distress but also builds emotional strength for future challenges.
Why My Mental Health Therapy Can Help You
In my nearly twenty years in private practice, I’ve seen how psychodynamic psychotherapy and psychoanalysis illuminate the deep roots of emotional pain rather than focusing solely on symptoms. These depth-oriented approaches provide long-lasting relief and help patients build emotional resilience, self-awareness, and healthier relationships.
At the same time, I’ve learned that symptom treatment has its place. CBT and other behavioral treatments can provide quick relief that allow space and clarity in which to process the deeper root causes. For this reason I incorporate such short-term treatments as needed in my psychodynamic approach.
You don’t have to navigate life’s challenges alone. Whether you’re facing anxiety, depression, trauma, or relationship struggles, my treatment will help you find your way forward.
For more of my thoughts on mental health treatment, try these articles:
How a Mental Health Therapist Can Enhance Your Life, Not Just Solve Your Problems
“Find a Therapist Near Me” or “Find a GREAT Therapist Anywhere”? The Power of Online Therapy
What Is Psychodynamic Psychotherapy and How Can It Help You?
Understanding Psychoanalysis: The Deepest Mental Health Therapy
Or, if you’re ready, schedule a consultation today and discover how psychotherapy or psychoanalysis can transform your mental health and help you find your way forward.