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- Tags: CBT fav psicoanálisis
[!summary]I’ve been busy with my thesis and personal matters, but I’ve missed writing for Substack—especially the responsiveness through feedback, comments, and discussions.
Highlights
id983198833
The training I received, which resembles modern cognitive behavioral therapy—at least in German-speaking countries—, is nothing like the caricature in the public imagination, especially among psychodynamically affiliated colleagues. This caricature portrays therapists as mechanics of the soul who get the machine running; psychodynamic therapists do the “in-depth” work, followed by five years of finishing touches, or the reverse: five years of twice-weekly therapy, followed by referral to CBT for symptom relief. CBT gives me the flexibility to adapt to my clients’ needs. I can tailor therapy to each individual—sometimes focusing on symptoms, other times taking a more holistic approach; sometimes working in a straightforward, technical manner, other times in a more caring and supportive stance. You get the idea.
id983198893
Returning to the title of this essay, what never left me is my fascination with psychoanalytic concepts. It is the sense that there is always more to understand. Perhaps this reflects the human tendency to assign meaning where there is none—sometimes a cigar is just a cigar⁴—but I think meaning-making is more of a psychotherapeutic endeavor than a search for truth.
El ejercicio de la psicoterapia no involucra la búsqueda de una verdad, sino que la (de)construcción de sentidos.