What is psychoanalysis?
Short answer
Psychoanalysis is an approach that investigates unconscious processes — what influences a person without their noticing — through what they say freely in session. The process tends to be longer and less organised around goals fixed at the outset.
How a session tends to work
The central invitation is to speak without filtering: whatever comes to mind, even if it seems unimportant or out of order. The analyst listens and intervenes at points, helping the person notice repetitions and meanings that were not in view.
Dreams, slips and memories enter the work as material rather than curiosity — they are routes to what is not said directly.
Frequency, duration and registration
Psychoanalysis often asks for more than one session a week and does not set an end date. This varies by analyst and is agreed at the start.
Worth knowing: in Brazil "psychoanalyst" is not a profession regulated by its own council. When the practitioner is a psychologist, they hold a CRP and answer to the Federal Council of Psychology — which is what IAURA displays and checks at sign-up.
Frequently asked questions
- Does psychoanalysis require a couch?
- Not necessarily. Many analysts work face to face, and the couch is a choice of setting discussed with the person.
- Is every psychoanalyst a psychologist?
- No. Psychoanalysis is taught in its own training institutions and does not require council registration. On IAURA every profile belongs to a psychologist with a CRP.