What is Psychodynamic Therapy, Really?
What Even Is Psychodynamic Therapy? And Could It Actually Help You?
Let’s talk about a therapy style that’s old-school and still totally relevant: psychodynamic therapy. Sounds fancy and intimidating, right? Like something Freud would mumble about while stroking his beard. But it’s actually a really rich, nuanced, deeply human way of understanding why we do what we do—and how we can change.
“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.”
I use a psychodynamically-oriented lens in my work as a therapist in Oakland, CA, which basically means I’m always holding curiosity about your inner world: your past, your patterns, your defense mechanisms, your relationships, your longings, and the stuff that’s hard to put into words. Let’s break it down.
So... What Is Psychodynamic Therapy?
Psychodynamic therapy is rooted in psychoanalysis (think Freud, Jung, etc.), but it’s evolved a lot. While Freud was out here theorizing about Oedipus and repressed desires, modern psychodynamic therapists are more like thoughtful detectives of the soul.
We’re curious about your early relationships, your unconscious beliefs, your emotional blind spots, and the ways you’ve learned to cope with pain—sometimes without even realizing it. We pay attention to what’s going on beneath the surface, not just what you’re consciously aware of. It’s a therapy of depth, not just symptom reduction.
Where Did It Come From?
Psychoanalysis was the original talk therapy, born in the late 1800s. Over the decades, it’s grown and diversified, giving rise to different branches: Jungian, object relations, relational psychoanalysis, self-psychology, and more.
Today’s psychodynamic therapy is a more flexible, collaborative, and trauma-informed evolution of that lineage.
“The aim of analysis is not simply to know oneself better, but to reclaim the parts of oneself that had to be left behind in order to survive.”
What Does It Do?
Psychodynamic therapy looks at how your past shows up in your present. That could mean…
Why you keep ending up in the same kind of relationship.
Why you feel shame when you ask for help.
Why you’re so hard on yourself.
Why you feel numb, disconnected, or like you’re floating through life.
Why a part of you wants closeness, and another part always pushes people away.
We explore the why behind your patterns—not to overanalyze or dwell, but because understanding yourself is the first step toward real change.
“The experience of speaking from the heart and being taken seriously builds the psychic architecture that supports the capacity to bear life.”
How Does It Work?
A lot of psychodynamic therapy happens through conversation, reflection, and relational exploration. You talk, I listen—and not just for the content, but for the emotional themes, metaphors, contradictions, and the “music underneath the lyrics.”
Together, we make connections between your past experiences (especially early relationships) and your current challenges. We might explore dreams, recurring thoughts, core beliefs, defense mechanisms, or feelings you didn’t even know were there.
We also notice what happens between us—because how you relate to me might mirror how you relate to others in your life. And that gives us real-time material to work with, gently and collaboratively.
“The unconscious is not just personal; it is racialized, gendered, historical. It holds not only our private traumas but also our cultural inheritances.”
How I Integrate Other Modalities
While psychodynamic therapy is the foundation of how I think and work, I also bring in other tools depending on what you're needing. Therapy isn’t one-size-fits-all, and I believe in blending insight with practical support and trauma healing.
Here’s what that might look like:
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing): If you’re stuck in trauma loops, we can use EMDR to help your nervous system actually process and release old wounds. This works well alongside psychodynamic work—it’s like we go deep and help your body catch up to what your mind is learning.
IFS (Internal Family Systems): When you’re feeling fragmented or at war with yourself (like part of you wants to change and another part is terrified), IFS helps us compassionately explore those inner parts. It fits beautifully with psychodynamic therapy because both approaches respect your inner complexity.
DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy): If you’re dealing with intense emotions, relationship conflict, or urges that feel out of control, DBT skills can offer structure and support. Think: emotion regulation, boundaries, distress tolerance. I bring these in as needed, especially when clients are overwhelmed or trying to build a foundation for deeper work.
In other words: we can explore your inner world and give you tools to survive it.
How Might It Help You?
Let’s say a client comes in because they keep getting into emotionally unavailable relationships. They know it’s not working, but they can’t seem to stop. They’re self-aware, but stuck.
In psychodynamic therapy, we wouldn’t just focus on strategies to date differently. We’d get curious together: What does “unavailable” feel familiar from? Was love conditional or inconsistent growing up? Is there a part of them that believes they don’t deserve more? What happens in their body when someone is available—does it feel safe, or somehow threatening?
“Every person must choose how much truth [they] can stand”
We might explore this over time, with IFS to gently get to know the parts of them that protect and long for love, or EMDR to process earlier wounds that shaped their attachment patterns. All the while, we’re working relationally—co-creating a space that feels safe enough to actually be vulnerable in.
TL;DR: Psychodynamic Therapy Is…
Insight-oriented
Curious about your past and inner world
Focused on unconscious patterns and defenses
Relational, deep, and collaborative
Integrated with body-based and skills-based tools when needed
About getting to the root of things—not just managing symptoms
It’s not always quick-fix or surface-level. But if you’re ready to explore the deeper “why” behind your struggles, and you want a therapist who meets you with warmth, nuance, and depth, psychodynamic therapy might be for you.
And if that sounds like your jam? I’d love to work with you.
Quick Glossary of Psychodynamic Therapy Terms
Unconscious:
The stuff going on in your mind that you’re not aware of, but that still affects your emotions, choices, and relationships. Think: hidden fears, old beliefs, feelings you’ve pushed down.
Defense Mechanisms:
Ways we unconsciously protect ourselves from emotional pain or anxiety. These aren’t bad, they’re survival tools. Examples: denial, repression, sarcasm, perfectionism, humor, avoidance, people-pleasing.
Transference:
When you start reacting to your therapist (or anyone) like they’re someone from your past, like a parent, ex, or authority figure. This happens without realizing it and can actually be super useful in therapy.
Countertransference:
When your therapist has emotional reactions to you based on their own stuff, or based on how you’re showing up. Good therapists notice it, own it, and use it to help understand what’s going on between you.
Attachment:
Your early relationship blueprint for love, trust, and safety. Shows up in how you connect (or struggle to connect) with others now. Think: anxious, avoidant, secure, or a messy mix.
Internal Conflict:
Two or more parts of you want different things. Like: one part wants love, another part is terrified of intimacy. Or: part of you wants to rest, another part says you’re lazy. Therapy helps you get to know both sides.
Projection:
When you unconsciously place your own feelings or traits onto someone else. Like assuming someone hates you when really you’re angry with them (or with yourself).
Enactment:
When therapist and client both start playing out an unconscious dynamic together, without fully realizing it in the moment. It’s like the emotional script from your past sneaks into the therapy room. The magic is in naming it together, gently.
Repetition Compulsion:
When you keep reenacting the same painful dynamic—over and over—hoping for a different outcome. Often rooted in early unresolved experiences. Think: “Why do I always date people who ghost me?”
Mirroring:
When someone reflects back your emotions, needs, or identity in a way that makes you feel truly seen. In therapy, mirroring helps you feel real, valid, and emotionally regulated, especially if you didn’t get that growing up.
Object Relations:
Not actual objects…this just means your internalized relationships. The “people” who live inside your mind: your critical mom voice, your soothing teacher memory, your ex that still haunts you.
The Therapeutic Relationship:
In psychodynamic therapy, the connection between you and your therapist is part of the healing. How you relate to them can mirror how you relate to others, and can become a safe place to try new ways of being.
