You will notice that the backdrop of my website has a circular Celtic knot logo. The Celtic knot represents my view of our inner psychological worlds. The many strands of our emotional lives are woven together in intricate and complementary ways. Ideally, our psyches function in accord with a stable and lively rhythm. Sometimes, however, this rhythm is disrupted, drawing our attention to problematic weavings that need to be recognized, understood, and re-woven so that we can resume the rhythm of our lives. Psychotherapy is one way to address these problems in the weavings of our psyches.
I provide psychodynamic psychotherapy and psychoanalysis as well as psychological evaluations for adults and children. In the following paragraphs, I address some questions that you might have about my practice.
What is Psychotherapy with Dr. Neumann Like?
I’m sure that you are well aware that there are many schools of psychotherapy and many ways to approach the concerns you bring to treatment. Although I have training in and am able to provide various types of therapeutic interventions, the underpinning of my way of working with you is psychodynamic psychotherapy.
Psychodynamic psychotherapists believe that our life experiences, especially our earliest ones, are fundamental in shaping the way we view ourselves and others. These experiences establish patterns of thinking and being in the world that profoundly effect our lives. For the most part, these templates remain out of our awareness. One of the goals of psychodynamic psychotherapy is to help you become aware of them.
One way of becoming aware of the old patterns that keep you stuck is for you to simply say whatever thoughts, feelings, and sensations you have during our sessions. We will also pay attention to our relationship and what it evokes. In this way, we can become more aware of the areas that are contributing to your difficulties. The therapy encounter will enable us to experience and understand the often unconscious meanings and functions of your thoughts and behaviors. This process in itself is healing.
Psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis is an intensive form of long-term treatment in which use is made of the patient’s stream of conscious thoughts and experiences during sessions to bring about fundamental change. Because of the depth and quality of change that analysis aims to achieve, individuals attend analysis 4 or 5 times weekly. Changes resulting from psychoanalysis tend to be profound and to take a deep hold.
