Brief Treatment of Psychosis from a Developmentally Informed Psychoanalytic Perspective

Abstract

This chapter considers a developmentally informed psychoanalytic approach to brief encounters with individuals with psychosis. The approach is derived from psychoanalytic work with children in which patients present material in whatever way they are able, and the therapist’s job to help them articulate the material, organize it, make meaning from it, and, from this, help them get themselves back on track developmentally. This approach nurtures the process of development itself and can be used with all children, adolescents, and adults, including ones who are overwhelmed with a psychotic process. The chapter begins with clarification of the title and organizing these terms in relation to one another. Two examples then demonstrate how to understand psychosis from this perspective, and where and when one might intervene, highlighting the special role of anxiety, attachment, and disorganization. What is presented here does not prescribe any procedure. Rather it elucidates a stance taken by the therapist that is characterized by a kind of listening and being open to whatever spontaneous material is presented. The challenge for the therapist using this developmentally informed psychoanalytic approach is to accept the patient however they present, use this as the starting point, and begin the therapeutic process by helping the patient organize the chaos that is psychosis.