Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis
Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis in English, Bos/Cro/Serbian, German
Psychotherapy in Vienna
Vienna is special for many reasons – one of them certainly being the fact that psychotherapy originated in this city, where Dr. Sigmund Freud founded the first psychotherapeutic method: psychoanalysis.
Maintaining this tradition, Austria upholds high standards in the quality of psychotherapeutic care. Regulated by federal law, every licensed psychotherapist is required to complete extensive theoretical training, practical experience, and personal therapeutic work – regardless of any other academic (university) degrees obtained. In addition, in response to the dynamics of globalization, particular emphasis is also placed on a culturally sensitive approach that accommodates people of various nationalities and is offered in multiple languages.
Psychoanalysis in Vienna
When psychoanalysis was founded in Vienna, it profoundly transformed our understanding of the human mind. One of its central postulates is that the mind is governed by processes that are not immediately accessible to consciousness – more precisely, the mind is predominantly shaped by unconscious dynamics. This idea is well illustrated by the remarks people often make:
‘I do not want to feel this way. Intellectually, I know I should not be feeling or doing this – for example, feeling depressed, anxious, worried, or overthinking – but I cannot help it; I cannot control it.’
It is precisely that which cannot be controlled by intellect or conscious will that psychoanalytic treatment seeks to understand.
There are many myths and misconceptions about psychoanalysis. Two of the most common are the beliefs that it consists solely of ‘talking about the past or childhood,’ or that it ‘must continue for a long time’ before any improvement can occur.
Although psychoanalytic treatment often involves exploring past experiences – since individuals themselves usually bring up such themes – and may extend beyond the duration of short-term approaches, this is not inherently required. The primary aim is to understand and work through a person’s inner states and behaviors, to the extent mutually agreed upon within the therapeutic process.