From Freud to Lacan: A Brief Overview of Psychoanalysis
Freud
At the end of the 19th century, Sigmund Freud discovered what he called the unconscious by listening to his patients. He realized that the unconscious governs our lives in its own way — beyond our awareness — like a hidden kingdom of the psyche. Freud showed that the roots of our suffering can often be found in this very force that secretly directs our lives. But where exactly is this unconscious? And how can we access it?Freud’s answer was that the unconscious reveals itself in symptoms, dreams (“Dreams are the royal road to the unconscious”), slips of the tongue, mistakes, and jokes. All of these phenomena appear foreign to us, distant from what we intend to say or do — yet they speak a truth that escapes our conscious control.
Lacan
In the 1950s, Jacques Lacan introduced the idea of a “return to Freud”, dedicating his life to re-reading and teaching Freud’s work. He emphasized the connection between language and the unconscious, famously stating: “The unconscious is structured like a language.” According to Lacan, the laws that govern the unconscious are the same that govern the chain of language — the unique way each of us expresses ourselves. From this perspective, the psychoanalyst is not a guide or adviser, but someone who listens attentively to the subject’s speech, sensitive to the slips, gaps, and repetitions through which desire speaks.
The Work of the Analysand
Psychoanalysis does not promise quick solutions or miraculous cures. Instead, it offers the analysand (the person in analysis) the opportunity to engage in a work of speech — to speak the truth about themselves. This work begins by following Freud’s only rule for his patients: “Say whatever comes to your mind.” Through this uncensored speech, a kind of play emerges between the speaker and the analyst — someone who listens beyond what is consciously meant, who hears what the subject does not yet know they are saying. As speech unfolds, the unconscious begins to show itself, and symptoms start to become decipherable. In this sense, psychoanalysis is an encounter with the Other — the unknown part of ourselves that can only be discovered through words. The analytic framework makes it possible to speak the truth, perhaps for the first time.