Freedom and Dependence

About this training

This training on accepting freedom and dependence in life aims to show how maintaining a balance between these two aspects is fundamental to an emotionally healthy life. It emphasizes how important it is to be guided by these concepts as signposts in therapeutic work and in personal life. It is an invitation to a deeper reflection on the fundamental tension that shapes the psychic life of every human being: the need for freedom and the need for dependence.

Tobias Nordqvist shows in depth how the relationship between these two forces develops during adolescence and maturation, and what consequences it carries in adult life and in therapeutic relationships. Participants in the training learn the principles of achieving a therapeutic balance between them.

If the need for dependence was not met in childhood, an adult may:

• deny this need or exaggerate it,
• have difficulty asking for help and accepting support,
• function in extreme self-sufficiency or, conversely, become excessively submissive.

Similarly, a lack of space for freedom can result in an inability to make decisions, difficulty in expressing oneself, and even denial of one's own identity.

The training discusses three key relational planes on which the tension between freedom and dependence comes to light:

• child - parent
• psychotherapist - patient
• citizen - system / state

Tobias not only presents theories and concepts, but also discusses specific cases from the consulting room, including:

• a patient who is overly dependent,
• a patient who denies dependence,
• a patient who denies both the need for freedom and the need for dependence.

The training shows how experiences of neglect, overprotection or a lack of emotional regulation influence the formation of beliefs such as: “I do not deserve this”, “There is something wrong with me”, “This is not for me”.

Tobias shows how the psychotherapist can help the patient become aware of mechanisms that have operated outside their awareness for years, and how to create a space in which it will be possible to reframe them. Particular attention is also devoted to the role of the psychotherapist as a companion: not the one who “fixes”, but the one who is in it together with the patient, until the patient is ready to make the decision to change.

The social context is also addressed: the mechanisms of dependence and control present in oppressive systems, in which restricting freedom and communal relationships serves to maintain power. To be brave and strong, one has to know that one has support in other relationships of dependence.

The training includes a theoretical lecture, an analysis of practical examples in the form of session transcripts and role play, and a discussion. Thanks to the training you will gain valuable knowledge about how to base your life and your work on the balance between freedom and dependence. You will also understand how important it is to recognize your own needs while helping others to meet theirs. In addition, you will deepen your ability to reflect on how your choices affect your psychotherapeutic practice.

This training is not only a source of theoretical knowledge, but also a practical guide to one of the most important areas of psychotherapeutic work.