Psychodynamic therapy and the Johari Window: Do we hide in plain sight?

In the therapy room, it can be tempting to remain within familiar emotional territory, perhaps hoping that the therapist in front of you has a ‘magic box of tricks’ to take away anxiety, trauma, or emotional distress. This wish, in itself, can reflect long-standing relational patterns: avoidant attachment, emotional withdrawal, or a fear of depending on another.

Psychodynamic therapy invites us to pause and turn our attention inward. What do we keep hidden? What is visible to others? Where might we be emotionally blind? And what feels too painful, threatening, or shame-laden to acknowledge at all?

It can be unsettling to consider that those around us may already see aspects of ourselves we believe we are concealing. Perhaps we are not quite the ‘open book’ we imagine. Often, we unconsciously protect certain parts of ourselves because, at some deep level, we fear that if the ‘real’ us were fully seen, we would be rejected or judged.

One way of thinking about this process is through the lens of the Johari Window — a psychological model concerned with self-awareness and interpersonal understanding. While not rooted in psychodynamic theory, it maps neatly onto many psychodynamic ideas.

The Johari Window: Four panes of awareness

Developed by Joseph Luft and Harrington Ingham, the Johari Window divides self-knowledge into four quadrants:

• The Open Area – what is known to the self and known to others

• The Blind Area – what is unknown to the self but known to others

• The Hidden Area – what is known to the self but kept from others

• The Unknown Area – what is unknown to both the self and others

• 
  

Expanding the ‘open area’ through insight

Psychodynamic therapy can be understood as a gradual expansion of the open area. As awareness of the internal world increases, it may become possible to think about and share experiences that were previously defended against or kept private. Emotional connections often become more flexible and less governed by unconscious rules and expectations formed early in life.

The hidden area: What we know but would never say

Many people enter therapy with a large hidden area. These are thoughts, feelings, wishes, and fears that are consciously known but not spoken. Shame, guilt, fear of rejection, or a belief that one shouldn’t feel a certain way often keep these experiences out of view.

From a psychodynamic perspective, these internal prohibitions frequently originate in early relationships. Over time, they may crystallise into a harsh, self-critical inner voice.

Psychodynamic therapy aims to create a safe, containing space where these hidden experiences can be explored. Gradually, clients may begin to speak openly about:

• Anger that feels unacceptable

• Dependency needs that were learned to be suppressed

• Conflicting feelings towards loved ones

• Fantasies or wishes never previously voiced

• 
  

As the hidden becomes more open, clients often experience relief and a clearer understanding of how suppressed feelings continue to shape their behaviour and relationships.

The Blind Area: patterns others see but we don’t

The blind area is particularly relevant to psychodynamic work. These are aspects of ourselves that others notice but that remain outside our awareness. In everyday life, this might show up as repeated relational difficulties, emotional reactions, or communication styles that feel normal to us but problematic to others — including in professional settings.

Within therapy, a psychodynamic therapist may notice patterns such as:

• Expecting rejection or criticism

• Minimising one’s own needs

• Becoming defensive in response to emotional closeness

• Recreating familiar relational dynamics within the therapeutic relationship

  
  

Bringing attention to these blind spots is not about judgement or criticism. Rather, it involves helping clients recognise how old relational templates may still be operating in the present. When these patterns are recognised and thought about, what was once blind can begin to come into view.

The unknown area: The unconscious at work

The unknown area closely aligns with the psychodynamic concept of the unconscious. These are feelings, memories, and internal conflicts that lie beyond immediate awareness for both the individual and those around them. They may reveal themselves indirectly through:

• Dreams

• Strong or seemingly disproportionate emotional reactions

• Bodily or somatic experiences

• Transference — how clients relate to the therapist based on past relationships

  
  

Psychodynamic therapy does not attempt to force the unconscious into awareness. Instead, it allows meaning to emerge gradually through curiosity, reflection, and the therapeutic relationship itself. When elements of the unknown become thinkable, emotional understanding — rather than purely intellectual insight — can develop.

Why this matters

From a psychodynamic perspective, meaningful change does not come simply from learning new coping strategies. The Johari Window helps illustrate why: the more of ourselves we can see, tolerate, and reflect upon, the less power unconscious processes have to shape our lives outside our awareness.

As the open area expands:

• Relationships often feel more authentic

• Emotional responses become more understandable

• Repetitive patterns lose their grip

• Anxiety may begin to ease

  
  

This does not mean that everything hidden or unknown must be exposed. Privacy and mystery are integral to being human. Rather, psychodynamic therapy supports the development of choice — the ability to respond thoughtfully rather than repeat unconsciously.

The Johari Window is, of course, a metaphor rather than a clinical framework. Psychodynamic therapy is far more nuanced than any four-part model can capture. Nevertheless, it offers a useful way of thinking about how increased awareness and attention to unconscious processes can make therapy a deeply transformative experience.

If you would like to explore whether psychodynamic therapy might be helpful for you, please feel free to get in touch via my website or email sarahmcmurraycounselling@gmail.com

I am a qualified and insured psychodynamic psychotherapist, working in Tunbridge Wells and online, and a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).

#psychodynamictherapy #psychodynamiccounselling #mentalhealth #managinganxiety #counsellinginTunbridgeWells #onlinecounselling

Photo by Nijwam Swargiary on Unsplash