Psychoanalytical psychotherapy is a method of curing mental disorders. It is based on the principles and theory of psychoanalysis. As treatment, psychoanalytical psychotherapy strives to illuminate conflicts and subconscious beliefs which contribute to emotional suffering and stagnation in life. Psychoanalytical psychotherapy deals with problems occurring here and now, presenting a unique opportunity for deep understanding of personality. Emphasis is on exploring feelings, dreams, inner experiences and meaningful relationships.
It is based on the assumption that our thoughts, feelings and behaviour are shaped by internalized representations. Those representations appear mostly through emotional experiences in early childhood and are often unavailable to the conscious, but they have a huge impact on all aspects of life, including all past, present and future relationships. In relation with a psychotherapist, by use of transference and countertransference, inner patterns are repeated which presents a unique possibility for change and development.
During psychoanalytical psychotherapy, one attains a more comprehensive understanding of one’s mental functioning (expressive and defensive aspects) and a deeper insight into difficulties which one faces. Successful psychoanalytical psychotherapy leads to not only the elimination of symptoms, but to a better integration of previously separated parts of the self into a personality as well. We expect an improvement in one’s ability to love and play, greater flexibility in dealing with life’s difficulties, better relationships and a feeling of greater contentment and accomplishment in life.
On development of psychoanalytic psychotherapy in Croatia
Development of psychoanalysis and psychotherapy in Croatia is closely connected with the work of the psychoanalyst Stjepan Betlheim (1898-1970). During his studies of medicine at Graz and Vienna, and when specializing in neuropsychiatry on various clinics and institutions in Vienna, Zurich, Paris and Berlin, he came across psychoanalysis and entered training in psychoanalysis. He became a member of the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society, and returned to his native city Zagreb in 1928.
He opened a private psychiatric practice in Zagreb, dealing mainly with neurosis. In 1948, he moved to the neuropsychiatric clinic at the Faculty of Medicine in Zagreb. In 1953, professor Betlheim founded the first ambulatory Psychotherapeutic ward in the former state, at the neuropsychiatric clinic of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Zagreb. Since then he was also given the authority to work as a university teacher in the field of psychotherapy with students and young physicians.
In 1952, he became a direct member of IPA. Prof. Betlheim, started the training in psychoanalytic psychotherapy together with his disciples Prof. Blaževic, Prof. Cividini-Stranić, Prof. Klain, Prof. Nikolić, who at the same time had all been the university professors at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Zagreb.
In 1963 was founded the first Section for Psychotherapy in Zagreb, at the Medical Association of Croatia.
At the beginning of the year 1969, the psychotherapeutic ward of the neuropsychiatric clinic moved into the newly constructed building. It also got the new name Mental Health Centre (CZMZ), and in 1989, it was renamed to the Clinic for Psychological Medicine.
Before the year 1991, in Mental Health Centre (later the Clinic for Psychological Medicine) which was the national institution approved by the Ministry of Health, as an psychotherapeutic institution providing services of psychotherapeutic treatment based on psychoanalytic foundations and the training in psychoanalytic psychotherapy. The training included seminars in theory, supervisions of three supervisors, supervision of preschool child therapy conducted over the period of one year, and of adolescent therapy over the period of one year, and the so-called didactic analytical individual and group psychotherapy.
An exceptionally important impetus was given to the development of the psychoanalytic psychotherapy in our country by the organization of seminars, of which the first was held in 1966 at Mokrice, a historical venue not far from Zagreb (now it is in Slovenia), and later on at the Plitvice Lakes, with education in psychotherapy as a topic. Seminars, with themes in psychoanalytic theory and with clinical psychotherapeutic presentations, discussions in large and small groups, with minor alterations in their organization and structure, were held every other year over the next thirty years or so.
In 1991, out of the Section for Psychotherapy at the Medical Association of Croatia developed the Croatian Association for Psychotherapy (also at the Medical Association of Croatia, HLZ), chaired by Prof. Dr.Muradif Kulenović. At a later point the Croatian Association for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy was founded, whose first president was prof Kulenović. The Association developed intensive lecturing activity (topics from theory of psychoanalytic psychotherapy and psychoanalysis), round table discussions and workshops.
The Association cooperated in that with the Institute for Group Aanlysis, the Croatian Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the Workshop for Family Therapy.
The above text clearly shows that the Croatian Association for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, the Croatian Psychoanalytic Society, and the Institute for Group Analysis had a common or shared history since the end of the 1960s until mid 1990s when the split into two societies occurred: Croatian Association for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy (HDPP) and Croatian Psychoanalytic Society. The cooperation between these two societies is very fertile and of good quality.
As we have attempted to show, the psychotherapy training in our country for many years was carried out in a matrix based on seminars, supervisory forms of study and didactic groups. In this matrix were involved all experts in our psychotherapeutic institution (Clinic for Psychological Medicine of the Clinical Hospital Centre (KBC) and the School of Medicine of the University of Zagreb), and on a broader scale (psychoanalytic psychotherapists from Split and Rijeka who carried out their training through the Zagreb group of the Croatian Association for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy). Abundant international cooperation helped to disseminate and extend knowledge of psychoanalytic theory and practice.
As of 1996, the qualification criteria for entrants in training in psychoanalytic psychotherapy have been changed. These criteria with minor alterations are still valid today: three initial interviews, own therapy 400 hours (currently 480), two supervisions covering a total of 240 hours, reading seminars in theory 340 hours, casuistic seminars, monitoring the progress of training entrants by elected committee.
Due to the change of the Law on Associations in 2001, a new founding assembly of the Croatian Association for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy had to be held in 2002, and new Articles of Association passed.
