Psychoanalysis is a mental health care discipline pioneered by Sigmund Freud, and is the origin of the iconic image of the patient, or analysand, lying on a couch while the analyst sits nearby in a chair. In classical Freudian psychoanalysis, the patient relaxes on the couch and free associates and verbalizes thoughts as they come to mind, while the analyst listens and interprets. However, psychoanalysis is not the same as psychotherapy.
While psychoanalysis, like psychotherapy, is used to treat mental conditions and disorders, psychoanalysis dictates a particular form and methodology for the therapy, rooted in the practices developed by Sigmund Freud in the late 1800s. Classical psychoanalysis is typically very intense, with the patient seeing the analyst several times per week. Practitioners of psychoanalysis must undergo intensive training in the practice over several years before being permitted to practice.
In psychotherapy, rather than lying on a couch, the patient typically sits in a comfortable chair, facing the therapist as they talk and work together.
