This is what psychoanalysts do. They listen to you, carefully. They can help you see deeper into your suffering, deeper into the patterns of unhappiness and distress in your life.
In today's world, being "well" or "happy" is far more than just a wish or a hope --it's almost an imperative; yet we dedicate so little time and effort in finding what prevents us from becoming exactly that, "well" or "happy".
How more convenient would it be if there was a magic potion that could guarantee happiness... Most of us would happily take it.
Many of us do, even though we know, deep inside, that this was a false promise.
Psychoanalysis does not give such guarantees. It recognises that there are no easy fixes.
As a psychoanalyst, I invite you to talk.
Talk about all that is important for you, about whatever there is that makes you unhappy, makes you worry, annoys you or disturbs you.
I invite you to tell me everything you can think and say about the issues you are faced with. How they started; how they affect your life; how they make you feel; what they remind you of; and so on and so forth.
I invite you talk about everything —whatever crosses your mind: complaints, symptoms, fears, desires, dreams, fantasies, opinions, doubts.
I invite you to talk about things you never knew existed in you, about thoughts you'd never expect to be able to formulate, about feelings you'd never expect to be able to articulate.
Talk openly and freely to someone who wants you to talk, is listening, and does not judge.
This is the only rule of analysis.Namely, there are no rules, no agenda for the session: There is nothing that should be discussed. There is nothing that should not be discussed.
The idea is that nothing in our mental lives exists in total isolation of all else. Our desires, our problems, our symptoms, are related to our personal history and connected to each other in ways which most of the time are unknown to us but they manifest themselves in what we say and how we say it.
Psychoanalysis is a tool of exploration, that aims to bring to light the whys and hows of our suffering.