Psychodynamic Psychotherapy delves into the inner workings of the mind, focusing on developmental, relational, and intrapsychic processes.
Supporting clients with C-PTSD by guiding them to examine their emotional dysregulation, challenges with self-identity, and difficulties in building healthy relationships makes it a highly effective strategy. It aims to help clients understand their defences and the dysfunctional behaviours they exhibit towards themselves and others.
For individuals grappling with C-PTSD, often rooted in early childhood trauma, this therapeutic approach emphasises relational experiences, dream exploration, and the significance of bodily sensations.
The dynamics of defensive roles
In the psychodynamic context of therapeutic relationships, we pay close attention to the dynamics of defensive roles, such as those of the perpetrator, victim, and rescuer. This process allows us to identify behaviour patterns that stem from early experiences and problematic attachment issues from childhood. By fostering a connection in the present moment during therapy, clients can cultivate greater flexibility, spontaneity, and a deeper appreciation for the complexity of being human.
Incorporating somatic practices into psychotherapy enables clients to engage with their bodily experiences, addressing more primitive and involuntary brain functions. The therapist guides clients through somatic exercises that enhance bodily awareness, such as recognising tension or specific sensations. Techniques such as progressive muscle relaxation and guided breathing can improve body awareness, help release tension, as well as provide insight into how bodily reactions relate to emotional stress.
The connection between their emotional pain and their bodily responses
Individuals dealing with C-PTSD often find it difficult to articulate their fundamental needs. Since childhood trauma often manifests in non-verbal stages of development, it is crucial to bring attention to the body and its memories, which often cause dysfunctional relationships in adulthood due to unhealthy attachment styles formed in childhood. Through psychodynamic therapy, we can better understand how the fight, flight, and freeze responses are expressed in the body, which can lead to feelings of emotional exhaustion, fatigue, and depression among other symptoms.
The goal of psychodynamic therapy for individuals diagnosed with C-PTSD is to foster a balanced integration of cognitive, emotional, and sensorimotor information, experienced as thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations. This process helps clients understand the connection between their emotional pain and their bodily responses.
Clients with C-PTSD may also face challenges in understanding what safe and healthy boundaries look like, as these boundaries were often breached during their formative years. While innovative treatments like neurofeedback are becoming more common for addressing trauma symptoms, psychodynamic psychotherapy emphasises the importance of the therapeutic relationship to regain a sense of self through relational processes.
Collaborating with a psychodynamic therapist to navigate the complexities of connection, disconnection (rupture), and healing (repair) empowers individuals with C-PTSD to gain insight into their inner and outer world to self-regulate, develop their identity self and reclaim control over their daily lives, enabling them to form new and healthy relationships.
Connect with us at COPE to work with one of our trauma therapists towards your physical and psychological well-being.
Article by Elisabeth Eitelberger
AThR Creative Arts & Psychodynamic Psychotherapist
Research:
Ginzburg, K., Tsur, N., Karmin, C., Speizman, T., Tourgeman, R., & Defrin, R. (2015). Body awareness and pain habituation: the role of orientation towards somatic signals. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 38(6), 876–885. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-015-9676-8
Leuzinger-Bohleber, M. (2015). Finding the Body in the Mind: Embodied Memories, Trauma, and Depression (1st edition.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429474781
Ogden, T. H. (1992). The matrix of the mind: object relations and the psychoanalytic dialogue. Karnac Books.
Perry, J. C., & Bond, M. (2017). Addressing Defences in Psychotherapy to Improve Adaptation. Psychoanalytic Inquiry, 37(3), 153–166. https://doi.org/10.1080/07351690.2017.1285185
Spermon, D., Darlington, Y., & Gibney, P. (2010). Psychodynamic psychotherapy for complex trauma: targets, focus, applications, and outcomes. Psychology Research and Behaviour Management, 3, 119–127. https://doi.org/10.2147/PRBM.S10215
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