Psychoanalysis Response

The psychoanalytic therapeutic approach, initially, seemed quite far-fetched to me. The idea that as humans our personality, mental functioning and emotions stem from repression and constriction of sexual behavior occurring during the first six years of life, as Freud suggested, is bizarre and slightly outlandish in my opinion. Especially with no scientific evidence to support this notion. However, Freud’s basic framework has evolved over the last century into a the method which centers around the concepts that the past has a significant impact on the present and future, and that people are often unaware of the factors that determine their emotions and behavior because these factors are unconscious. This is easier to wrap my arms around, as I feel that my early childhood experiences, including those I am not cognizant of, set me upon a path with a particular set of beliefs and patterns that have had an impact on my feelings, mannerisms and personality traits. But I am not convinced that these experiences have been the primary determinants of my behavior. While the psychoanalytic counseling theory is not a method, in and of itself, I feel is best served to treat people with chemical dependency issues, I do believe that this philosophy can be helpful in treating particular issues and clients when used in combination with cognitive-behavioral, motivational, and insight-oriented therapy techniques.
The past, both conscious and unconscious, may play an integral role in why a person began abusing substances in the first place, but I do not believe uncovering it is necessarily the key to rehabilitation. In my opinion the aim of substance abuse counseling should be to enhance and sustain a client’s motivation to change, enable and encourage them to modify their behavior and to foster the development and pursuit of realistic and satisfying coping and problem solving skills so they can successfully abstain from drugs and alcohol and live a healthy, fulfilling life.