Integration between empirical research and psychoanalytic practice: An illustrative study

Abstract

Among the alternatives to overcome the dissociation between scientific research and clinical practice, we highlight the use of empirical procedures that evaluate clinically important questions, the inclusion of the psychotherapist’s perspective in the study, and the publication of research results in accessible language for the psychotherapist. This paper shows, through a systematic study of a single case of psychotherapy with a borderline patient, as clinical and empirical data can be combined to increase the understanding of the patient and changes on her functioning over the first year of treatment. The systematization of the case was based on the clinical notes of the psychotherapist and on the application of two instruments: the SWAP-200, which evaluates personality, and the SCL-90-R, which evaluates symptomatology. The data were integrated to formulate a comprehensive clinical and empirical hypothesis about the psychotherapeutic process and changes in the functioning of the patient in the 1st year of treatment. The conclusion indicates that although it is not a simple task, the integration between empirical research and psychoanalytic practice is possible and potentially useful for both fields. Overcoming this historical separation depends on the combined efforts of therapists and researchers.

Keywords: psychoanalytic psychotherapy research, systematic case study, psychotherapy process.