Converting Patients to Psychoanalysis: a Panel on Technique

December 3, 2013
Panelists: Arnold Rothstein, MD, Deborah Cabaniss, MD, Andreas Kraebber, MD, Ruth Graver, MD

Analysts who recommend analysis to their patients believe in the unique power of this treatment to heal and transform. Yet gone are the days when patients arrive familiar with this work. Many have never heard of psychoanalysis, or have the impression that it is outmoded and unscientific, having been replaced by newer, short-term therapies. How do we describe analysis to patients in the twenty-first century? What are the relative roles of psychoeducation, preparatory psychotherapy, and interpretation of resistances to analysis? How do we work with these resistances? Have our ideas or technique changed, or do they need to change, with our changing culture? At this lively and interactive panel, four colleagues with active analytic practices share their ideas, opinions, and experiences.