In Treatment: A Case Study Of Paul's Psychodynamic Therapy

The HBO television series “In Treatment” highlights the various techniques of psychotherapy utilized by therapist Paul to examine and treat his patients. In the case of Sophie, a sixteen year old gymnast who attempted suicide multiple times, Paul adopts a psychodynamic orientation in order to uncover the reasons behind her unstable emotions. Derived from Freud’s psychoanalytic theory, the primary focus of psychodynamic therapy is to increase the client’s self-awareness by revealing the unconscious content of the mind that may be causing emotional distress. The treatment process is unique as it is developed upon the interrelationship between the therapist and client, enabling self-expression of thought and insight into the patient’s mind.
As a result, she gains trust in him to freely express any thoughts or feelings that comes to her mind. During this process, he makes use of several therapeutic techniques in order to analyze the unconscious motives of her behavior. In the beginning of the week seven episode, Sophie describes a dream about her father being in danger from a serial killer. Continuing, she claims that she has a telepathic connection with her father, since her dream somewhat predicted her father’s favorite camera getting stolen. As Paul begins to ask questions about her dream, he utilizes a technique in psychodynamic therapy called dream analysis. This method examines the underlying meanings of the client’s dreams, which can reveal hidden wishes and desires that is in the unconscious mind of the individual. Although Paul did not assess any definitive conclusions from Sophie’s dream, it opens up a way for him to evaluate her history with her
However, once they are identified, therapists must teach the clients ways to cope with the conflicting emotions. Sophie experiences these contradicting thoughts in episode eight, where she explains to Paul that she has been trying to talk to her mom, while ignoring calls from her dad. Since she had used repression and splitting as defense mechanisms, going against what she has unconsciously done for years becomes extremely stressful. As a result, her body reacts both physically and mentally, with her body becoming covered in rashes and thoughts of giving up. Referring back to the main objectives of psychodynamic therapy, therapists must guide the clients in understanding the impacts of past experiences and learning to accept oneself. Paul demonstrates this, in episode eight, as he guides Sophie into realizing that is it not her fault that her father left and that her mother fell into depression. He concludes that once she learns to forgive herself, her conflicting inner emotions will finally become