Over billions of years of evolution, emotions have been the most critical factor in the survival of organisms on Earth. Additionally, the need for relatedness is one of the most fundamental human needs across all cultures. In dynamic psychotherapy, on one hand, the focus is on the individual’s emotions and feelings, and on the other hand, these emotions are emphasized within the context of interpersonal relationships. Thus, dynamic psychotherapy is more in harmony with human nature, is deeper, more powerful, more effective, and its therapeutic results are long-lasting.
The precursor to dynamic psychotherapy—psychoanalysis—was criticized for its subjective concepts, lack of organized structure, and long treatment duration, which made it difficult to research its effectiveness. Dynamic psychotherapy, with more objective concepts, a structured and unified framework, clear steps, and shorter treatment duration, addressed these criticisms of psychoanalysis.
Dynamic psychotherapy views emotions and feelings as superior and considers a person’s thinking patterns and beliefs to be influenced by current emotions, which themselves are shaped by past emotional experiences. Therefore, dynamic psychotherapy places more focus on the client’s emotions and feelings during treatment.
This approach, which prioritizes emotions and feelings over thoughts and beliefs, is closer to human nature and supported by evolutionary evidence. Since the first single-celled organism appeared on Earth billion years ago, life has evolved, eventually giving rise to humans. During these billions of years, emotions have been the most important factor in the survival of all organisms. These emotions formed and persisted because of their role in the survival of individuals and species. For example, fear helped living beings avoid danger, anger drove them to defend themselves and their families, sadness allowed for reflection and recovery, and love and sexual desire ensured reproduction and the survival of the species.
Thus, emotions have a deep evolutionary history, which makes them fundamental. Even from a neuropsychological perspective, it is clear that emotions take precedence over thought. In intense emotional situations, people are overwhelmed by their emotions, and their ability to think and reason diminishes. In these cases, neural pathways leading to emotional centers in the brain become more accessible, while pathways to the cerebral cortex, which are typically involved in decision-making, are blocked so that the individual can respond quickly and emotionally.
According to dynamic psychotherapy, before treatment, the client is often unaware of the underlying reasons for their emotions, behaviors, beliefs, and reactions. Many painful and unacceptable life events and memories, along with their effects, are repressed and kept out of conscious awareness. Even when clients attempt logical analysis, they often distort reality using defense mechanisms to justify their behaviors. Therefore, trying to work on a person’s thoughts and beliefs without first freeing them from the emotional constraints of past painful experiences is futile.
In conclusion, dynamic psychotherapies are more aligned with the natural functions and priorities of humans, which have evolved over billions of years. This alignment makes clients feel that the therapeutic process is in harmony with their nature. This, along with the therapist’s confidence in their method, fosters optimism and trust in the therapeutic process, motivating the client to engage more fully. As a result, the treatment progresses more effectively.
Additionally, unlike psychoanalysis, dynamic psychotherapy emphasizes attachment theory, a widely accepted theory, and focuses on emotions and feelings within the context of interpersonal relationships. Thus, dynamic psychotherapy is more in tune with human nature, offers greater depth, power, and effectiveness, and its therapeutic results are more lasting.
