Psychoanalysis

I offer psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic therapy in central Bristol

Psychoanalysis is a talking therapy: it offers a confidential, non-judgmental space where someone can speak about what they are suffering from, and where they can be listened to in a new way. By putting into words things which may have been unspoken before, it can be possible for something about this suffering to change, and for different ways of doing things to become available.

It is based on the premise that there are thoughts and ideas that are unconscious: things we don’t want to know about, which nevertheless have a powerful effect on our lives. Without really understanding why, we can find ourselves confronted with unsettling thoughts and feelings, painful states such as depression or anxiety, or repeated patterns in relationships that cause us distress. Sometimes it is not so clear what the problem is, but we may be troubled by questions about who we are or what we want, or by a more general sense that something, somewhere, is wrong, and needs to be addressed. 

As a treatment, psychoanalysis is different from many other forms of therapy in that it does not focus on trying to get rid of these difficulties as quickly as possible. Instead, it provides the time and space for a person to speak as freely as they can about their life and their history, including the thoughts, wishes and feelings that might be too difficult to speak about elsewhere. By talking like this to someone who listens in a very particular way, they may be able to hear new and surprising things in what is said.

My training is in Lacanian psychoanalysis: this is a way of working with people which pays careful attention to speech and to the specific words that someone uses, and which explores the significance of this language in their personal and family history. It is a practice that rejects any ideas of what is “normal” or how a person should be, but respects what is unique about each individual, and aims towards the creation of their own particular ways of dealing with whatever is troubling or painful to them.

As no two people are the same, every psychoanalysis is different, and depends on the particularities of that individual; for some more general information about my practice, however, please click here.

As well as working with adults, I offer therapy to children and adolescents. Please click here for more details about work with a child or young person.