To cope, she uses intellectualization (over-explaining her problems to avoid feeling them) or projection (thinking her boss is angry with her when she is actually angry with herself). The Turning Point: The Formulation (The Map)
The "formulation" is the moment the therapist connects these dots into a . Psychoanalytic Case Formulation
The story begins with a person entering the room—for example, "Sarah," a high-achieving professional crippled by sudden panic attacks. While a standard medical model might simply label this "Generalized Anxiety Disorder," a psychoanalytic formulation looks for the . The Investigation: Searching for Patterns Psychoanalytic Case Formulation
Sarah's panic often happens right after she receives praise at work. Psychoanalytic Case Formulation