Psychoanalysis is an intensive form of psychotherapy that usually involves several sessions per week in order to facilitate a more thorough exploration of one's emotional life. Contemporary psychoanalysis is an interactive process between patient and therapist where the focus is to learn about oneself and build emotionally satisfying relationships. While day to day problems and struggles are certainly a focus of treatment, greater attention is also given to one's internal psychological experience, including dreams and fantasies, as a means of generating a deeper appreciation of ourselves, our wishes and the ways that we protect ourselves from emotional pain.  Psychoanalytic treatment strives to help people achieve increased psychological freedom and flexibility, as well as learn new ways to live, love and work with genuine vitality in life.  It can be a highly effective form of creating lasting emotional change and building psychological resiliency. Research in psychoanalysis has demonstrated that its results are long lasting and may even be superior to those of short term approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy or medication alone.  If you are interested in learning more about psychoanalysis or the research regarding its effectiveness, please see the links to the resources I've provided below.