#25 THERAPYCRAFT: Integrating mystery into psychoanalytic practice.

Mysteries are things that cannot be explained in words, but must be experienced in order to be understood. I propose that good therapists are individuals with a high tolerance for mystery. However, contemporary psychology training is founded on the scientist-practitioner model, which characterises the use of evidence (that is, what is already known) as a hallmark of good practice. Among the contemporary psychotherapies, the theory of psychoanalysis makes exceptional provision for mystery in its willingness to acknowledge the unconscious, and sees the patient’s symptoms not as glitches or errors, but rather a coherent set of responses to real, albeit often unremembered experiences. I suggest that psychoanalysis, as well as the procedures for becoming a psychoanalyst, have some structural similarities to those of initiatory rites into ancient mystery cults. I highlight these similarities to propose that cultivating the stance of analyst-mystic might empower therapists to utilise initiation, rather than learning or healing, as a framework of transformation for both themselves and their patients.

I presented a version of this paper at the inaugural Brisbane Psychoanalytic Congress in November 2025. In creating this event, my colleagues and I extended invitations to therapists of all types and all sub-schools of psychoanalytic thinking to come together and discuss psychoanalytic thought as it pertains to everyday practice. This decision was motivated by a shared frustration at the posturing and dogma that can often interrupt psychoanalytic dialogue. We hoped to create an inclusive event with a different sort of atmosphere and to hear from people with different ideas about how they actually carry out their analytic work.

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