Neurotic disorders rarely arise suddenly – more often, they develop as a long-term response of the psyche to the impossibility of adapting without an inner cost. According to Dr. Daniel Reinhardt, neuroses should not be viewed as isolated symptoms, but as a stable way of psychological survival under conditions of ongoing internal conflict. In the practice of MindCareCenter, we work with how this form of maladaptation gradually becomes habitual and starts to be perceived by a person as “normal.”
In many cases, a person with a neurotic disorder maintains outward social functioning – they work, build relationships, and fulfill responsibilities. Yet internally, chronic tension, anxiety, a sense of insecurity, or persistent inner pressure are present. At MindCareCenter, we often observe that neurotic symptoms – intrusive thoughts, somatic reactions, anxious anticipation, rigid behavioral patterns – serve a protective function, helping to preserve a fragile balance.
Our specialists emphasize that neurotic symptomatology is rarely related to “weakness of character.” On the contrary, it forms where the psyche has had to cope for a long time with contradictory demands – to be accommodating and autonomous, restrained and effective, strong yet sensitive. When a direct resolution of the conflict is impossible, tension is displaced into symptoms.
At MindCareCenter, the integrative approach to working with neurotic disorders involves attention to several levels simultaneously. We explore not only the current symptoms, but also the history of their formation – the relational context, early adaptive strategies, bodily reactions, and ways of affect regulation. This approach makes it possible not simply to “eliminate” symptoms, but to understand the role they play within the psychological system.
The therapeutic process at MindCareCenter unfolds gradually. An essential stage is the restoration of a sense of safety – without it, symptoms cannot be released. The person learns to recognize signals of anxiety, tension, and internal conflict before they turn into obsessive states or somatic reactions. This reduces the psyche’s need for rigid defenses.
Over time, therapy opens space for a different mode of adaptation. Instead of chronic self-control and emotional suppression, a more flexible form of regulation emerges. At MindCareCenter, we see how this leads to a decrease in inner tension and how symptoms lose their central position in the person’s psychological life.
Special attention is given to work with identity. With prolonged neurotic functioning, a person often begins to define themselves through their symptoms – “I am anxious,” “I am too sensitive,” “I can’t cope.” Within the therapeutic space of MindCareCenter, these identifications are gradually reconsidered, making room for a more integrated experience of self.
It is important to understand that a neurotic disorder is not a verdict. It is a signal that the psyche has been operating in a state of maladaptation for too long. Integrative therapy at Mind Care Center is aimed at helping a person move out of this mode – not through forcing or self-violence, but through restoring inner stability and the capacity for self-regulation.
Previously, we wrote about how functioning without subjective involvement leads to a loss of experiencing oneself as the source of life, and how MindCareCenter works to restore this connection