Psychodynamic Therapy in Chicago

At Fermata Psychotherapy, we primarily use a psychodynamic lens to understand and work with our patients and the psychological, emotional, and relational challenges they bring to therapy. Connected to the long tradition of psychoanalysis, psychodynamic perspectives are both a way to practice psychotherapy, and a way to understand human nature and its relationship with our developmental, family, social, and historical context.

What does this mean?

Psychodynamic therapy pays close attention to our earlier attachments and relationships. The importance of these experiences cannot be overstated, as they shaped who we became and how we are able to relate to ourselves and others. Did we feel the world around us was secure, attuned, and responsive to our needs? What did we learn about what it takes for our needs to be met, for us to feel loved, heard, and seen?

Looking at the past is important because it shapes the present, including our identity, our relationships, and our ability to deal with current life challenges. Our past is never fully in the past but always an intrinsic part of who we are today, as we might find ourselves repeating old patterns or emotions that seem eerily familiar. Thinking about the past is useful to understand the present, as part of a process to write your own future. Psychodynamic therapy is helpful to understand the root of our difficulties, the undercurrent beneath the experiences or the issues that are making life more challenging.

Psychodynamic therapy goes beyond “symptom management” to make sure we understand what is underneath. We believe that the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that bring people to therapy have meaning. Our experiences of anxiety or depression, our difficulties in relationships, our struggles with self-esteem - they are not “wrong” or “irrational,” but part of what makes us human, They can be meaningful vestiges from our past or valid attempts to cope with realities that are difficult to handle.

This meaning is oftentimes unconscious, kept out of our awareness for different reasons. It can be rooted in old and deep traumas, internal conflicts, or painful losses. We believe it is also very important to understand our experiences and their meaning in the context of our personality and our history, as well as against the backdrop of our relationships, our family history, our community, and our culture.

Gaining awareness and insight are central parts of the process of psychodynamic therapy, but this approach is not only focused on intellectual understanding. Psychodynamic therapy recognizes and appreciates the depth of our feelings and emotions and the complexity of our inner world. A crucial component of the process often includes developing the ability to experience those feelings in the work with a psychodynamic therapist.

Working with a psychodynamic therapist in Chicago

Psychodynamic therapy offers a process of growing our awareness, understanding, and acceptance. It helps us recognize and reconsider, as if we had new eyes, what we thought we knew about ourselves. It helps us become able to think about what felt unthinkable, to make sense of our present in light of our past, so that we can live a future that feels more authentic and fulfilling. Psychodynamic therapy is not only about managing symptoms, changing thoughts, or learning tools or behaviors, but about honoring the depth and complexity of your experience, processing emotions and feelings that have not found ways to be expressed.

Because our shared humanity is front and center, psychodynamic therapy does not rely on predefined protocols, manuals, or scripts. The focus is not on a “condition” or “diagnosis,” but on you as a whole, unique, and complex human being. Our approach is not guided by defining “what condition you have,” but by understanding how you came to be who you are as a human being. Through this deep understanding and recognition, new possibilities and a renewed sense of agency can emerge.

Each treatment is different because each person is different. Therapy is a space where uncomfortable feelings can be shared, where all parts of you are welcomed. For this to happen, you and your therapist will -together- work towards creating an environment that is non-judgmental, empathic, consistent, and safe. As trust develops, new layers of meaning can be found and new emotions experienced, leading to change and transformation from within.

Book an appointment for psychodynamic therapy