“CHANGING INSIDE AND OUT: CONSIDERATIONS ON THE PSYCHOANALYTIC PROCESS AND THE ACTUALIZATION OF THE SELF”

by Isabel Mesquita,
Professor at University of Évora, Portugal
Didactic Psychoanalyst at Portuguese Association of Psychoanalysis and Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy

ABSTRACT

In psychoanalytic theories, as in human development, change is essential. The past is significant, the present is important, and creating the future is relevant. Stagnation in development is always a pathogenic factor that leads to illness and dissatisfaction. A key aspect of the psychoanalytic experience is the progressive recapture of the experience of the self, which may feel alienated and disconnected from personal and interpersonal discourse. This process enables the analysand to continually discover who they are and what they want to become, fostering a greater potential for both intrapersonal and interpersonal dialogue. Therefore, in the psychoanalytic process, it is crucial to understand and dismantle pathogenic relationships. This involves clarifying what the individual has done with their experiences and how these experiences shape their future. It is important to maintain the understanding that individuals are also influenced by their own actions in the present as they relate to their future. While a supportive, empathetic, and nurturing stance is necessary, a more interventionist approach is also required to help patients uncover new ways of experiencing themselves and their relationships. Additionally, the analyst must recognize the feelings and emotions that have not yet been expressed, so they can be acknowledged as real and integrated into the patient’s personal experience.

BIOGRAPHY

Isabel Mesquita is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Évora, with a PhD in Narcissistic Vulnerability and Love Relationships, Is a specialist in Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, and didactic psychoanalyst at Ap. She is a trainer and supervisor. She has been in private practice since 1992, worked in a health center for 14 years and has given various training courses to teachers and other technicians.
She is the author of two books published by Climepsi – Disguises of Love and What’s New in Love?
She has published articles on narcissism and on the transformation of the self during the psychoanalytic process.