How are (and are Not) Psychodynamic Concepts and Treatment Effective in the Treatment of Trauma?

Psychodynamic psychotherapy and psychoanalysis offer a “laboratory” to observe subtle changes and their relationship to health, behaviors, emotions, and interpersonal interactions. Ecological momentary assessment attempts to do this, but in a much shorter and limited way. The value of psychodynamic treatment is critically built on unbiased observation, not theory. In contrast to the dynamic lens that looks for “what was wrong before that explains what is wrong now,” science suggests that nothing had to be wrong. Changes occur as a result of life events, especially traumatic events. The individual response follows a traumatic event and is not traumatic, in itself, but can greatly alter ones emotions, behavior, and interpersonal life. These responses are a coming together of an individual’s biological, psychological, and social contexts. Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can usefully be thought of as a “forgetting disorder.” Forgetting is critical to life and function and the inability to forget is a primary element of PTSD.