Psychoanalytic work is a journey taken by two people – the therapist and the patient. The therapist acts as a guide on the patient’s trip of exploration. One crucial aspect of this journey is the motivation of both parties. Motivation often depends on the rapport established – and it is up to the guide to set a tone of benevolent curiosity. Before trusting, a period of assessment and testing occurs and each party uses both their conscious intelligence and their gut feelings to determine whether the trip will be safe enough to embark on together.
Benevolent curiosity is the motor of my work and I try to encourage those who work with me to adopt it. If we can truly ask questions without judgment we will learn more and more about what makes us tick. Criticism has no place in analytic work. Whatever we do or whatever we suffer can only make sense if we trace our individual patterns from past to present. Symptoms, anxieties, inhibitions, depression/sadness, all have roots. As those roots are recognized and tended, new growth becomes possible.
When a person crosses my thresh-hold my major activity is listening. In my quest to get to know someone I am interested in everything. During our first meeting I will say something like: How can I help? Or What brings you? Or Tell me about yourself. These comments are meant to get us started. I consider it a privilege to hear a patient’s stories, fears, complaints, wishes, details, and I do my best to make that person as comfortable as possible by listening attentively and by trying to help him/her along.
For more info about the process go to the work