Misconception 1: Therapy is all about wallowing in the past.
Actually dynamic therapy looks at a person's past to understand their current distress. Thoughts, feelings, and actions have important links with a person's history. These links can provide starting points for mental and emotional growth. People can develop at any stage of life. Talking about the past can help us understand the present. Dynamic therapy focuses on how a person feels here and now. It cannot change the past, but it can change how one feels about the past and their current sense of self.

Misconception 2: Therapy is for sick people.
In fact, people come to dynamic therapy for many different reasons that can be simply summarized this way: they want to grow and feel better. I believe that people develop and mature in therapy because they learn how to use their minds to work better for them. Similar to how athletes develop physically, people in effective dynamic therapy develop mentally and emotionally. This type of development is known to alleviate issues such as depression and anxiety, and it is also known to significantly improve numerous areas of human performance.

Misconception 3: Therapy is all about sex.
The truth is that people worry about sex quite a lot, but they talk about everything in therapy. A well-trained dynamic therapist is a particularly safe person to talk with about virtually anything. Therapists in this tradition are exceptionally ethical about interpersonal boundaries, confidentiality, and safety. Thus they do not get involved with their clients in any way other than talking with them. This sort of safety and privacy allows clients to talk about anything, even sexual issues. Discussion of all issues leads to growth and development.

Misconception 4: Therapy is a waste of time and money.
Actually, many people feel that dynamic therapy has saved their lives. Numerous clients report a greatly increased capacity to love and care about their partners, children, and families. They talk about finding confidence and contentment for the first time in their lives. It is hard to place a monetary value on becoming calm, stable, happy, and secure. How much are good relationships worth? Making such changes in therapy costs money and takes time. Dynamic therapy is not for everyone but many who have done it find lasting satisfaction in these areas.

Misconception 5: There is no scientific proof that therapy works.
In fact, there is a great deal of scientific evidence that demonstrates that dynamic therapy works well for many people. Research about treatments for mental distress that has funding from drug and insurance companies is more apparent in the mainstream media. Dynamic therapy is associated with many large organizations that have done outstanding and innovative research. Follow the links below for more about this scientific evidence.

LINKS:

Division 39, American Psychoanalytic Association

Denver Psychoanalytic Society

International Psychoanalytic Association

American Psychoanalytic Association

Vermont Association For Psychoanalytic Studies