Abstract
Many trainees, like myself, are so daunted by the prospect of working with patients within a psychodynamic framework that their anxieties can overcome them, and their experience of psychotherapy suffers. As a result they can end up deeply sceptical of this style of treatment. Later in their career, when they are more confident of their general skills, they may wish to return to psychotherapy to try to understand at a deeper level the interaction between individuals, in particular between doctors and patients. Often though, there is too little time to develop these skills at this stage.
Highlights
Many trainees, like myself, are so daunted by the prospect of working with patients within a psychodynamic framework that their anxieties can overcome them, and their experience of psychotherapy suffers
One needs to be prepared to incorporate as much theoretical knowledge as possible. This can often be overwhelming for beginners and may well prevent an attempt at psychotherapy
The most common is that one should aim to allow patients to expel their feelings; that they should become upset, angry, etc. This catharsis would in some way produce a resolution of some underlying psychic or emotional pain. For some this may lead to temporary relief, but generally, with the type of difficulties currently being referred to psychotherapy departments, this is not enough
Summary
Like myself, are so daunted by the prospect of working with patients within a psychodynamic framework that their anxieties can overcome them, and their experience of psychotherapy suffers As a result they can end up deeply sceptical of this style of treatment. In this paper I hope to outline some of the very basic assumptions that I believe underpin psychodynamic psychotherapy, based on my early experiences of psychotherapy and of supervising trainee psychiatrists With luck this will demystify the process enough to instil sufficient confidence in trainees and give an understanding of what they may reasonably achieve. Entering the world of psychotherapy, a new and potentially hostile place, often results in trainees reverting to doing what they know best For doctors this can be to base one's understanding of the patient's problem on diagnostic issues, defence mechanisms or terms such as personality disorder, and to prescribe solutions. Without a more thorough understanding of the underlying processes this can often result in disappointment and frustration for all
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