What is psychoanalysis?

Psychoanalysis, and the psychodynamic therapy that grew out of it, is a way of understanding ourselves that starts from a simple observation: much of what shapes our lives happens outside our awareness. The patterns we repeat in relationships, the anxiety or depression that won’t lift, the ways we hold ourselves back often have roots we can’t see just by thinking harder about them.

In psychoanalytically informed therapy, we make room for those hidden currents to come into view. Instead of following a fixed protocol, we pay close attention to what you bring: your history, your dreams, your hesitations, and what unfolds between us in the room. Over time, this kind of depth therapy helps you recognize the deeper logic of your struggles. That recognition is often where lasting change begins.

Why psychodynamic therapy matters

Many approaches aim to reduce symptoms, and that work is valuable. Psychoanalytic therapy asks a broader question: not only how do I feel better? but why do I keep ending up here, and who might I become? Its goal is greater freedom, meaning the ability to love, work, and live with more choice and less compulsion.

The approach is also grounded in research. Studies of psychodynamic therapy show meaningful benefits, and those benefits often keep growing after treatment ends.

Psychoanalysis is not a quick fix. For adults who want to understand themselves deeply, whether they’re facing anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, or a sense of being stuck, it offers a rare kind of attention and a real path to change.

Now offering in-person sessions in Vancouver, WA.