Posted by DAisym on September 9, 2007, at 0:01:41
In reply to Re: 'moments of meeting', posted by annierose on September 8, 2007, at 23:04:08
You asked, "what makes an analysis successful?"
That is the 64 million dollar question. The Boston Change group studies this and has been asking the question, "what is it about therapy that creates change?" The broad answer is "the relationship" -- but they dig further and ask, "what about the relationship?" Louis Cozolino is a neurobiologist and he thinks that the relationship provides the safety and scaffolding so that the patient can tolerate the stress required for neural reorganization. He talks about therapy as creating a "safe emergency" for creating the right psychological structure and biological stimulus for rebuilding the brain. Simplified a great deal - certain chemicals are released under certain circumstances and these enhance the plasticity of the brain, allowing us to learn or change. Hopefully, a therapist will be stimulating the right mixture of brain chemicals with empathy, consistency and yes - a bit of challenge.
Freud would say a successful analysis is when a person realizes their primitive urges and stops repressing them. They could then go on to lead lives of "typical" suffering.
I guess I want to believe that therapy is successful if you can make the needed changes that help you with your life, which is not to say you won't need help again in the future. Since we are always changing and new challenges find their way to us, I think perhaps an analysis is never quite finished. Is it?
poster:DAisym
thread:781609
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20070904/msgs/781736.html