Louise,
I just noticed your thread and wanted to say that yes I have had experience of psychoanalytic therapy. I accessed this therapy privately - I understood it was rare to have long term therapy on the NHS now (eg beyond one year). Psychoanalytic therapy does address emotional distress in some depth. The therapist has usually been trained as an analyst, a long term and expensive training, they are interested in everything that goes on between you in the therapy relationship. They also will look out for things that you don't say, and wish to access feelings that are unconscious, not known to you at the time but coming out in things you say or patterns of behaviour. It is often through understanding the unconscious meanings that you are meant to come to new insights and realisations that free you from the distress. The therapist doesn't judge but personally I found his manner quite detached and cold. Sessions are at least once a week, in psychoanalysis (on which this is based) it used to be more like two or more times a week. The therapist does offer a safe space, there were silences I remember often and at times I wanted the therapist to say far more than he did. I wasn't allowed to contact him between sessions unless it was something practical about arrangements/our regular slot. I saw him for 18 months and ended with him because it wasn't the right match (he also didn't agree with me continuing to self harm outside sessions, said that it threatened the work together). Sessions are always 50 minutes. I think the relationship is key, even though a psychoanalytic therapist may be less warm and available than someone like a person centred counsellor.
As for antisocial personality disorder, this is just a label, it doesn't define you. It isn't a nice label to be given and perhaps you should ask for an explanation of this. No label is nice though, I have a diagnosis of BPD and find it really upsetting at times. Personality disorder is usually applied to us when we can't be fitted into other categories like depression and anxiety.
Do let me know if you have more questions about the therapy process.
