Psychotherapy of Unconscious Experience

Abstract

Freud defined the unconscious as a result of repression. However, recent findings in neurology and developmental psychology indicate that unconscious experience may be composed of presymbolic, subsymbolic, implicit, and procedural forms of memory, as well as being the result of trauma. In this article, preverbal, never-verbalized, unacknowledged, nonmemory, and avoided verbalization are categories of unconscious experience used to describe two psychotherapy cases. Five prereflective patterns—attachment style, self-regulation, relational needs, script beliefs, and introjection—are suggested as a way to organize treatment planning. A relational and in-depth integrative psychotherapy is described for the treatment of unconscious experience.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Richard G. Erskine

Richard G. Erskine, Ph.D., Training Director of the Institute for Integrative Psychotherapy, New York, is a clinical psychologist, licensed psychoanalyst, and Teaching and Supervising Transactional Analyst (psychotherapy). He is visiting professor of psychotherapy at the University of Derby and runs several international training programs and workshops as well as maintaining a private psychotherapy practice in New York City. He may be reached at the Institute for Integrative Psychotherapy, 500 East 85^th St., PH B, New York, NY 10028, U.S.A.; e-mail: [email protected]; Web site: www.integrativetherapy.com.