What is contemporary psychoanalysis and why should I be interested?

Because psychoanalysis explains how the mind functions, contemporary psychoanalytic theory and practice have social, political and public policy functions that expand well beyond their customary academic and clinical applications. From describing the origins of culture, religion and art to examining the individual personalities of politicians, notable personalities and criminals, psychoanalysis offers plausible and viable explanations that can be readily applied to the smallest of life’s daily situations.

Contemporary psychoanalysis is the product of more than one hundred years of evolving theories and clinical approaches intended to help people live psychologically honest, rewarding lives.  Today we rely upon many complementary concepts that began with the brilliant work of Freud in the late 19th c.  They continue changing and growing to this day.

While contemporary psychoanalysis owes a great debt to its ancestral heritage, it has evolved along with the society and history it reflects and in which it is embedded.  Contemporary analysis mirrors the psychological and scientific currents of our own progressive era, particularly the field of neuro-psychoanalysis.  There is no better time to begin psychoanalysis or psychoanalytic psychotherapy.


“Psychoanalysis is thought for food.”

-Mauri-Lynne Heller


girlbeforemirror