Neo-psychoanalysis

Domain I · Psychodynamic & depth psychology · Harald Schultz-Hencke · 1940 · Berlin

What it is

Neoanalysis is a Berlin revision of psychoanalysis. Schultz-Hencke dropped libido theory and the Es/Ich/Über-Ich structural model as speculative. In their place he put an observation-near theory of drive experience (Antriebserleben) and its inhibition (Hemmung, Gehemmtheit). He saw it as an…

Format

• Phase 1: First consultation and anamnesis (about 1–5 sessions, face to face).
• Plain statement. This is mainly a theory of neurosis with a textbook technique. It is not a manualised therapy. No session-by-session protocol exists. Where this guide turns concepts into in-session steps, they are marked. Schultz-Hencke's teaching is still a recognised option for the…

Who practises it, and how they are trained or regulated

• Schultz-Hencke's analytic-procedure chapter covers spontaneous healing, the aim of treatment, anamnesis and first consultation, the basic rule, the analyst's procedure, ending, psychosis therapy and analyst training. The phases below follow that order. unless tagged otherwise]
• Format: individual sessions, using the basic rule.
• Duties. Refuse to take part in coercive or conversion work. Report it to the professional body or regulator.

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Is there physical contact? Was it explained beforehand, and do you feel free to say no or stop at any point?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• How do you and the practitioner understand what is happening, in spiritual or cultural terms? Is that a source of comfort, worry, or both?
• Does it use a device, heat, cold, water or a physical procedure? Has a medical professional checked that it is safe for you?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• Shame and feeling blamed. Treat it as a rupture (section 5). It is working when the patient starts to act, even clumsily.
• Assigning a label without explaining the symptom dynamically. It is working when the formulation predicts which situations will be hard.
• Symptoms returning as the end approaches, which may be a deprivation situation in miniature. Work it through rather than extending reflexively.
• Compliance that only performs the new behaviour. It is working when the patient genuinely disagrees, asks or protests, and the relationship holds.
• Removing a substitute before the primary need has another outlet. It is working when the substitute diminishes without being replaced by another symptom.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.