Psychotherapy & Insight Therapies: Psychoanalysis Explained

What Is Psychotherapy?

Psychotherapy is a way to help people with problems in their thoughts, emotions, or behavior. A trained therapist talks with a person who is feeling sad, worried, angry, or confused. It’s also called talk therapy.

There are many types of psychotherapy. Some focus on your thoughts. Others help with feelings or behavior. Many go deep to find the root cause of your problems. The goal is to help you feel better and live a healthier, happier life.

What Are Insight Therapies?

Insight therapies help people understand themselves better. They focus on what is going on inside the mind. These therapies help people see why they feel or act a certain way.

To Gain Insight

Insight means understanding the real reason behind your thoughts and feelings. For example, someone might cry easily, and insight therapy may help them see this is linked to feeling unloved in childhood.

Let’s now look at some popular types of insight therapies.

Psychoanalysis: Looking Deep Inside

Psychoanalysis is a very old and deep form of insight therapy. It was created by Sigmund Freud. This therapy believes that many of our problems come from hidden or unconscious thoughts.

“Psychoanalysis is an insight therapy that emphasizes the recovery of unconscious conflicts, motives, and defenses through techniques such as free association and transference.”

Free Association

The person speaks freely about whatever comes to mind—thoughts, memories, dreams—without censoring. This helps bring hidden problems to the surface.

Resistance

Sometimes, the person avoids talking about certain things. This is called resistance—an unconscious way of refusing to fully take part in therapy. It slows healing.

Analysis of Resistances

The therapist watches for moments when the person changes the topic or avoids talking. These are clues to something important.

Dream Interpretation

Dreams show hidden feelings. Freud believed dreams have manifest content (what we see in the dream) and latent content (the hidden meaning).

For example:
Manifest: A dream about being chased.
Latent: Fear of failure or shame from childhood.

Transference and Countertransference

• Transference: The person may treat the therapist like someone from their past, like a parent.

• Countertransference: The therapist may feel emotional reactions too, which must be controlled carefully.

Person-Centered Therapy (Rogers’ CCT)

This type of therapy was created by Carl Rogers. He believed:

“To understand individuals, we must look at the way they experience events rather than at the events themselves.”

The therapist:

• Shows congruence (being real and honest)

• Gives unconditional positive regard (accepts the person fully)

• Helps the person find their true self through spontaneity and support.

Gestalt Therapy (GT)

Gestalt Therapy sees a person as a whole, not just thoughts or feelings. It focuses on emotions in the present moment.

“G.T is an insight therapy that emphasizes the wholeness of the personality and attempts to reawaken people to their emotions and sensations in the here and now.”

Key Techniques:

• Empty Chair: Talk to an imaginary person in an empty chair.

• High Chair: For role-play with emotional distance.

• Skillful Frustration: The therapist may block an easy answer to encourage deeper feeling.

• Magic Shop: Imagine buying personal strengths (like courage) from a shop.

• Dream Technique: Act out dreams to understand hidden meanings.

Cognitive Therapy: Fixing Thoughts

Cognitive therapy is an insight therapy that emphasizes recognition and changing negative thoughts and maladaptive beliefs.

It was developed by Aaron Beck.

People often have “thinking errors” that cause sadness. For example:

“Depression is caused by errors in thinking.”

Cognitive therapy teaches people to notice wrong thoughts, like:

• “I’m not good enough”

• “Nothing will ever change”

Then they replace them with more helpful ideas.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT combines both thinking and action. It helps:

• Change bad thoughts

• Build good behavior

It is used to treat:

• Depression

• Anxiety

• Stress

• Phobias

• PTSD

Reading Therapy

In CBT, reading books about feelings and mental health can also help. This is called bibliotherapy.

Psychodrama: Acting to Heal

“Psychodrama is a specialised technique designed to permit patients to act out roles, situations, and fantasies to their problem.” – Moreno (1946)

People act out real-life problems or deep feelings. This helps them see the problem clearly and feel free.

Key Elements:

• Protagonist: The main person sharing their story.

• Auxiliary Ego: Other group members who play roles.

• Audience: The group that watches and supports.

 Common Techniques:

• Role Playing

• Role Reversal (switch roles)

• Soliloquy (talking alone on stage)

• Double Technique (someone stands beside and speaks hidden thoughts)

• Mirror Technique (watch your behavior acted back to you)

There are other forms:

• Social Drama – about groups

• Sociometry – measuring relationships

• Axiodrama – about personal values

Behavior Therapy (BT)

“Systematic use of principles of learning to increase the frequency of desired behaviours and to decrease the frequency of problem behaviours.”

This therapy doesn’t talk about feelings. Instead, it changes actions.

Techniques of Behavior Therapy

Other Therapies Worth Knowing

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)

Used for severe depression when nothing else works. It uses small electric shocks to change brain activity. Done safely in hospitals.

Key Therapies

Therapy Name	Type	Helps With
Psychoanalysis	Insight	Deep emotional pain, trauma
Person-Centered	Insight	Self-worth, identity
Gestalt Therapy	Insight	Present-moment feelings
Cognitive Therapy	Insight	Negative thoughts, depression
CBT	Mixed	Thoughts + actions (all-round issues)
Psychodrama	Role-play	Emotions, self-expression
Behavior Therapy	Action-Based	Habits, fears, child behavior issues
ECT	Medical	Severe depression

 Inspiring Quotes

“Real change comes from insight and action.” – Sajid Ali
“You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

Finding the Right Therapy for You

Whether you want to look inside your mind, change your habits, or act out your emotions—there is a therapy that fits.

• Psychoanalysis helps find hidden pain.

• Cognitive therapy fixes thoughts.

• CBT changes both thoughts and behavior.

• Gestalt and Rogers’ CCT build self-understanding.

• Psychodrama helps you feel and act through problems.

• Behavior therapy gives tools for action.

• ECT is used when deep depression needs quick relief.

If you or someone you love is struggling, psychotherapy can be the first step toward healing

 TL;DR

This article explains psychotherapy, especially insight therapies like psychoanalysis, CBT, Gestalt, and psychodrama. It covers techniques like free association, dream interpretation, role-playing, and behavioral methods. Each therapy works differently—some focus on thoughts, others on emotions or behavior. A trained therapist can help you choose the best path toward mental and emotional health.

Sajid Ali

M.Phil in Psychology from UET Lahore, Sajid Ali shares clear, research-based insights on mental health, emotions, and social behavior in simple English.