The Psychoanalytic Study of Suicide,Part II: An Integration of Theory,Research,and Clinical Practice

Abstract

In Part I contemporary psychoanalytic concepts about suicide were synthesized with other theories and empirical research findings. Here the focus is on applying those principles and describing an integrative psychodynamic approach to treatment, one emphasizing the therapeutic alliance, unconscious and implicit processes, exploration of fantasy, and use of the therapeutic relationship as an implicitly interpretive vehicle for change. It is “integrative” because it draws on ideas and techniques described in dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), as well on developmental and social psychology research. Psychotherapy with suicidal patients is inherently challenging, requiring the therapist to bear intense emotional pain while attending to potentially derailing countertransference pressures. The therapist plays an active role in helping the patient navigate affect storms and counter harsh self-attack, and instilling hope that treatment can lead to meaningful change. The integrative psychodynamic approach offers a pathway to a lessening of harsh self-judgment, greater connection with the body, improvement in continuity of experience, positive changes in narrative identity, emergence of the patient’s genuine capacities, and more satisfying interpersonal relationships. These changes promote affect tolerance, improve life satisfaction, and decrease the likelihood of suicidal behavior.