‘These pains you feel are messengers. Listen to them.’
Rumi, Persian poet 1207–1273
Personal details
Dr. med. Cordula Heckhausen, born 1961 in Münster (Germany)
Specialist in Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Psychoanalysis in Düsseldorf
Professional life
- Assistant physician in the Department for Internal Medicine at the Florence Nightingale Hospital, Düsseldorf-Kaiserswerth
- Assistant physician in the Department of Psychiatry at the LVR Hospital Langenfeld
- Registered independent practitioner since 1993
Professional associations
Further training
- Depth psychology-based psychotherapy and psychoanalytic psychotherapy at the Psychoanalytical Association Köln-Düsseldorf, Institute of the German Psychoanalytical Association (DPV)
- Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR), EMDRIA
- Ego state therapy at the Ego-State-Therapy Association Germany (EST-DE)
- Mindfulness-based therapy methods, MBSR
- Body-oriented trauma therapy, among others Hakomi
- Hypnotherapeutic techniques
- Practicing meditation based on Zen Buddhism for 15 years
Psychotherapeutic consultation
During our first conversations, termed psychotherapeutic consultations, you describe your personal circumstances and the challenges affecting you.
This allows me to get an idea of your situation and share my thoughts about the nature of your problems, their origin and potential solutions. In our discussion, I help devise a course of action. It can involve one of the different types of psychotherapy – for instance a depth psychology-based psychotherapy, an analytical psychotherapy or a behavioural therapy. Different disorders may also be considered for further treatment such as a medical diagnosis, initiating rehabilitation measures, relaxation techniques or attending a support group.
In my practice in Düsseldorf, I offer depth psychology-based psychotherapy and analytic psychotherapy as one-to-one sessions.
Depth psychology-based psychotherapy
In depth psychology-based psychotherapy, also known as psychodynamic psychotherapy, we work together on important, clearly defined topics, termed central relationship conflicts. These themes usually come into focus during our first conversations. They are mostly based on the patient’s life history and later lead to effects on experience and behaviour. Often, they are related to painful feelings and behavioural patterns which cause conflicts and hinder daily life.
Aim of the therapeutic work is to experience these patterns, understand them and then change them.
The new experiences can help you to interact differently with yourself and others going forward. Elements from trauma therapy such as body-oriented mindfulness exercises, EMDR, Ego State practices, stabilisation procedures as well as hypnotherapeutic techniques and disorder-specific strategies from behavioural therapy can form part of the treatment. Usually, the therapy takes place once a week for each 50 minutes in seated conversation.
Depending on the complexity of the problems, I offer depth psychology-based psychotherapy in two forms: as a short-term therapy with 12 to 24 sessions or as long-term therapy with 60 to 100 sessions.
Analytic psychotherapy
If the issue is more deep-rooted and your coping mechanisms for the consequential problems are becoming more hindering than helpful in providing solutions, an analytic psychotherapy can be more suitable.
Analytic psychotherapy focusses on finding new paths towards lively emotional development.
Due to the type of therapeutic relationship and the time available for the treatment, it is possible to acknowledge, recognise and change old patterns of thought, emotion and behaviour. This happens with your previous life experiences in mind and whilst interacting with the therapist. During this process, space for new experiences can arise.
If enough progress can be made, the therapy can help you to experience your feelings to the maximum and then to process them. The perception of your body will also come into focus. This allows a deeper connection to the full richness life can offer and your self-esteem can grow. As part of the therapeutic work, you can find ways to actively shape your own life in the present and create space to allow you to adapt and handle any new crises which may occur.
Another goal can be to define and accept potential personal limits. In this form of therapy, different elements from trauma therapy such as body-oriented mindfulness exercises and other types of body therapy, EMDR, Ego State work, stabilisation procedures and hypnotherapeutic techniques are also incorporated.
Analytical psychotherapy encompasses 160 to 300 sessions. The therapy takes place one to three times a week in seated conversation.
Costs
German Statutory Insurance
Initial consultation
The costs for the psychotherapeutic consultations are covered by the German statutory insurance. The insurance card needs to be presented for this purpose in the first session.
Therapy
The German statutory insurance covers the costs for psychotherapy such as depth psychology-based and analytical psychotherapy for the treatment of mental health disorders.
Privat insurance
If you are privately insured, you will receive an invoice that you can submit to your insurance company for reimbursement. The invoice is based on the tariff for doctors, GOÄ (Gebührenordnung für Ärzte).
Initial consultation
Private healthcare providers refer to the initial consultations as “Probatorische Sitzungen” (trial session). The costs are usually available for reimbursement by the insurance company.
Therapy
If, and to what extent, therapy is reimbursed depends on the conditions of your contract with your private healthcare provider. Please inquire with them directly for details.
Self-funding clients
The option exists to cover the costs of therapy yourself. The billing is based on the tariff for doctors, GOÄ (Gebührenordnung für Ärzte).