Lacanian Psychoanalysis is a clinical theory and practice that derives its origins from the work of Sigmund Freud and Jacques Lacan.  It entails speaking in the presence of a psychoanalyst, following the fundamental rule of free association where you say whatever comes to mind. With the help of a psychoanalyst, you begin working with the unconscious through focused attention on certain formations, such as dreams, failed actions, slips of the tongue, etc. Lacan returns to central aspects of Freud’s theory of the unconscious, and incorporates insights from other fields such as philosophy, linguistics and topology.

While psychoanalysis can have therapeutic effects, such as the eventual alleviation of symptoms of depression, anxiety, compulsive behaviors and fixated thought patterns, its primary objective is to encounter unconscious truth, which changes our relationship with our desire.  Whereas therapy is primarily focused on conscious thought/feeling/behavior of the individual, psychoanalysis is focused on the unconscious subject.

Lacan presents the most unique and powerful form of psychoanalysis we know of, as it has an ethic centered on desire.  Lacan is most famous for conceptualizing the unconscious as “structured like a language,” where speech and signifiers are of the greatest import. Lacan certainly utilized Freud’s psychoanalytic method, including free association, the development of transference in the relationship between analyst/analysand, the interpretation of dreams, and the utilization of multiple sessions/week as well as having the analysand lie down on the couch.  

Lacan added two important techniques: The first is scansion, whereby the session is “cut” by the analyst at the point where truth emerges of the subject emerges in the session. The second is the variable-length session, whereby each session has its own logic and length, such that some sessions can last 20 minutes and some can last 1.5 hours (it all depends on what has been said). We utilize these methods on a case by case basis, as there is no such thing as a “standard” case.

Psychoanalysis has no “ideal client,” but simply requires an analysand (one who analyzes their life) who comes to an analyst with a desire for knowledge of the truth of their particular suffering.  It requires no previous theoretical or clinical knowledge.  Rather, psychoanalysis is a “leap of faith” into an encounter with one’s unconscious, and thus its primary orientation is towards truth rather than therapeutics.  It would be fair to say that if you are demanding mental health tools such as coping strategies for immediate relief, homework assignments, or coaching, then psychoanalysis will likely be a futile endeavor.  However, if you can tolerate the anguish of not knowing or making immediate sense of things, and you are willing to submit to fundamental rule of free association, then psychoanalysis might be for you.