What is Psychodynamic Therapy?

Psychodynamic therapy is a form of talk therapy that focuses on the unconscious patterns that influence your behaviour, emotions, and relationships. Rooted in the ideas of psychoanalysis, it helps you explore the deeper layers of your experience — particularly how your past may be shaping your present.

This approach is not about quick fixes or surface solutions. Instead, it offers a space for reflection, insight, and emotional understanding. It’s especially useful for people who feel stuck in certain patterns but don’t fully understand why.

How Psychodynamic Therapy Works

Much of what drives our emotional life operates below the surface. In psychodynamic therapy, the goal is to bring more of that unconscious material into awareness.

Your therapist will help you notice patterns in your relationships, your emotional responses, and the ways you protect yourself from difficult feelings. Together, you may explore early life experiences, unresolved conflicts, or beliefs you hold about yourself and others.

This is not about reliving the past — it’s about understanding how it still lives within you.

What Psychodynamic Therapy Can Help With

Psychodynamic therapy is especially effective for:

• Long-term emotional struggles
• Anxiety and depression
• Relationship difficulties
• Low self-esteem and identity issues
• Grief, loss, or unresolved trauma
• Repetitive life or relationship patterns

It can also help if you feel something isn’t quite right — even if you can’t put your finger on what that is.

What to Expect in a Session

Psychodynamic sessions are usually open-ended and reflective. You’ll be encouraged to speak freely about whatever is on your mind, without censorship or pressure. Your therapist will listen closely — not only to what you say, but how you say it.

Over time, the relationship between you and your therapist becomes a window into how you relate to others, offering insight and the opportunity for emotional growth.

Unlike some more directive therapies, psychodynamic work is often slower, but the changes it brings can be deep and lasting.

Psychodynamic Therapy at LifeChange, Dublin 2

At LifeChange, our therapists offering psychodynamic therapy are trained to hold a warm, safe, and confidential space where you can explore your inner world without judgment.

Sessions are available in-person at our centre in Dublin 2 or online, depending on what works best for you.

Is This the Right Approach for Me?

If you’re seeking more than symptom relief — if you want to understand yourself more deeply and change long-standing patterns — psychodynamic therapy may be the right fit.