A psychological question

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Alright, so I have read many times about neuroses and how in psychoanalysis the patients are adviced to recognize the emotions or thought that he or she has suppressed. My question is, what do you after? Can you simply just leave it at that? I mean there is a reason for it to be suppressed in the first place. Isn't it perfectly normal and healthy that we suppress some things that we don't think is worth thinking about?

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That's tricky. At first glance, I'd say indeed it's a fundamentally healthy decision to avoid thinking of things that are negative: that's the difference between depression or anxiety and happiness. But I think what physchoanalysis has in mind is somewhat different; namely to locate and assess those repressed thoughts in an effort to aid your understanding of yourself and your behavior, which can only be a positive.

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It would be "normal" and healthy to suppress some things if they didn't lead to problems, such as neurotic behavior like cutting, or hair pulling, or personality disorders like borderline , or worse, psychotic problems such as multiple personality disorder.

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But then it wouldn't be suppression. Suppression is necessarily what is done with negative experiences and the emotions thereof.

I don't believe we suppress positive experiences and our emotions thereof.

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If your hysterical paralysis of the legs turns out to be due to negative feelings about your father, it may be useful to recognize the fact and resolve your feelings about your father enough consciously that they don't do as much damage.

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I agree with the above and would add that recognizing the cause alone can lead to realizing the supressed memory / link is irrational.

I have no idea where my fear of spiders came from. Growing up on a farm, I was constantly running into webs, grabbing hay from dark loft corners where spiders nested, etc. AFTER I became an adult, and somewhere around the age of 24, I developed a HUGE fear of spiders. Cringing just thinking about it.

If I were to learn that my fear came from X, and that X was a silly reason to fear spiders now that I am older and can look back to the situation and see the silliness / irrationality of it, I could then begin to deal with the fear from that perspective.

However, I have no desire at this time to become spider friendly, so don't make me any appointments just yet..

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If there's a problem of some kind, it needs to be acknowledged first, before it can be dealt with. You've got to get to the root of it before you can understand it and treat it.

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Psychoanalysis is not for amateurs.There are dangers.

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Many.

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"Psychoanalysis" (as used by Freud) has been largely discredited. There are still a large number of practitioners, but it's silly, really.

Therapists have many more tools in their bags, nowadays. Cognitive therapy, interpersonal therapy, etc.

You say "suppression of a neurosis." I would say "extinguish a behavior." Phobias are extinguished using exposure therapy, for example.

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DrewDad wrote:

"Psychoanalysis" (as used by Freud) has been largely discredited. There are still a large number of practitioners, but it's silly, really.

Therapists have many more tools in their bags, nowadays. Cognitive therapy, interpersonal therapy, etc.

You say "suppression of a neurosis." I would say "extinguish a behavior." Phobias are extinguished using exposure therapy, for example.

Today there are people who believe in analysis and people who believe in behavior modification. If there were a general acceptance that analysis had been discredited, there wouldn't be so much of it being practiced.

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InfraBlue wrote:

But then it wouldn't be suppression. Suppression is necessarily what is done with negative experiences and the emotions thereof.

I don't believe we suppress positive experiences and our emotions thereof.

Maybe we should dig up a definition of suppression.
As far as my mind knows, positive experiences and emotions often get pushed down with the negative. Here's where the problem really begins!

It is normal and healthy to suppress sometimes: but those feelings, memories, etc. need to be dealt with at some time.

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Not if you follow the "Don't Look Back" advice of Bob Dylan.If you can't you just might be clinging onto something for selfish reasons.And you are being reinforced by others doing the same.

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Good question, Ray. Just reading for now, buddy.

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That's a good idea to look up the definition of suppression, flushd. I found this by googling "psychology suppression:"

Quote:

Suppression: Suppression is similar to repression, but there are some subtle differences. In repression the person "unconsciously" pushes painful or difficult memories, actions, etc. out of consciousness. However, suppression is a "conscious" exclusion (or "pushing" down) of these painful memories, thoughts, etc. In this way, we control impulses consciously as opposed to unconsciously.

I was thinking it was concerned more with unconscious processes than with conscious ones. They both seem to involve "painful or difficult memories, actions, etc." although I think you do have a point in that positive memories, actions, etc., sometimes do get pushed down with the negative.

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Brandon9000 wrote:

DrewDad wrote:
"Psychoanalysis" (as used by Freud) has been largely discredited. There are still a large number of practitioners, but it's silly, really.

Therapists have many more tools in their bags, nowadays. Cognitive therapy, interpersonal therapy, etc.

You say "suppression of a neurosis." I would say "extinguish a behavior." Phobias are extinguished using exposure therapy, for example.

Today there are people who believe in analysis and people who believe in behavior modification. If there were a general acceptance that analysis had been discredited, there wouldn't be so much of it being practiced.

Is there no end to the topics on which you would exhibit your ignorance?

I didn't say "analysis," I said "psychoanalysis." You should read more carefully.

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DrewDad wrote:

Brandon9000 wrote:
DrewDad wrote:
"Psychoanalysis" (as used by Freud) has been largely discredited. There are still a large number of practitioners, but it's silly, really.

Therapists have many more tools in their bags, nowadays. Cognitive therapy, interpersonal therapy, etc.

You say "suppression of a neurosis." I would say "extinguish a behavior." Phobias are extinguished using exposure therapy, for example.

Today there are people who believe in analysis and people who believe in behavior modification. If there were a general acceptance that analysis had been discredited, there wouldn't be so much of it being practiced.

Is there no end to the topics on which you would exhibit your ignorance?

I didn't say "analysis," I said "psychoanalysis." You should read more carefully.

I used the word analysis as shorthand for psychoanalysis, as is common. Is there no end to the topics on which you will instantly get personal?

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Brandon9000 wrote:

I used the word analysis as shorthand for psychoanalysis, as is common. Is there no end to the topics on which you will instantly get personal?

You quoted me. Have a nice day.

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DrewDad wrote:

Brandon9000 wrote:
I used the word analysis as shorthand for psychoanalysis, as is common. Is there no end to the topics on which you will instantly get personal?

You quoted me. Have a nice day.

Frankly, I have no idea what this sentence means, but your statement that psychoanalysis has been generally discredited in the world is simply false. Most mental health practictioners today practice something much closer to Freudian psychoanalysis than to behavior mod.

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Brandon9000 wrote:

DrewDad wrote:
Brandon9000 wrote:
I used the word analysis as shorthand for psychoanalysis, as is common. Is there no end to the topics on which you will instantly get personal?

You quoted me. Have a nice day.

Frankly, I have no idea what this sentence means

Two simple sentences. I can't imagine why you would have difficulty understanding them. Rolling Eyes

Brandon9000 wrote:

your statement that psychoanalysis has been generally discredited in the world is simply false. Most mental health practictioners today practice something much closer to Freudian psychoanalysis than to behavior mod.

I'd be interested in any support you have for this statement, but it is factually wrong. If by "most mental health practitioners" you mean licensed practical therapists, social workers, psychologists, and psychiatrists, that is.

There is still one school of thought that ascribes to Freud's theories ("psychodynamic"), but even they will use multiple techniques in order to help their clients.

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A psychological question

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