PSYCHOANALYTIC PSYCHOTHERAPY WITH DEAF PATIENTS: A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF CHARACTERISTICS AND TECHNICAL ADAPTATIONS IN CLINICAL PRACTICE

摘要

How do deaf patients treat their psychological conflicts? Is psychoanalytic psychotherapy possible for this population? Should adaptations be made in the psychotherapeutic setting? Many deaf people have come to psychotherapists' offices in search of care for their emotional suffering only to encounter professionals who are unprepared, at least technically, to work with these patients and their differences. Due to the scarcity of publications or because very few professionals work with this population, many psychoanalysts are obliged to develop treatment in a basically intuitive way. The main objective of this study is to describe characteristics and technical adaptations carried out when treating this group through psychoanalytic psychotherapy as exercised by professionals who are familiar with the area. This article is the result of qualitative research backed up by very diverse reading. Content analysis was carried out according to Bardin's widely accepted method, and resulted in three final categories that are discussed. The categories are: (1) professional experience in the field of deafness: preparation and initial difficulties; (2) contextualization and subjectivity of deaf patients; (3) a psychoanalytic approach with deaf patients: characteristics and technical adaptations of clinical practice.