Thread by @jefffinethomas

In 2010, @JonathanShedler published an article in the flagship journal of the American Psychological Association, The American Psychologist. 🧵

At the time, it was controversial because his article argued that psychodynamic psychotherapy, long derided as irrelevant and ineffective, is empirically supported as effective.

One of my favorite parts of the article was his reference to the work of Blagys and Hilsenroth (2000) who identified by empirical means 7 techniques used by psychodynamic therapists that are different than those of other therapies. They are:

Focus on affect and expression of emotion
Exploration of attempts to avoid distressing thoughts or feelings
Identification of recurring themes and patterns
Discussion of past experience (developmental focus)
Focus on interpersonal relations

Focus on the therapy relationship
Exploration of fantasy life

I find these plain English ways of thinking about psychodynamic technique incredibly helpful, especially since technique can be exceedingly complicated.

For those new to psychoanalysis, it can be daunting to try to grasp what it would mean to offer a helpful interpretation. I notice that those new to psychoanalysis report freezing up or going blank when trying to think of something helpful to say.

Using the language of Blagys and Hilsenroth makes thinking through what might be most helpful to people a bit more accessible.

For those who are familiar with psychoanalysis, one reason I love this way of thinking about psychoanalysis is that it serves a unifying function.

Psychoanalytic theory is pluralistic and different theorists often have professional conflicts with each other about who’s thinking is most useful.

But, my guess is that these techniques encompass the work of the vast majority of psychoanalytically oriented clinicians no matter their theoretical positions. In that sense, I think it helps to unify us. If you’ve never read the article, it’s well worth the read.

jonathanshedler.com/PDFs/Shedler%2… #psychoanalysis #therapistsconnect #therapisttwitter #psychtwitter #psychstudent