Psychologist Jonathan Shedler begins his 2010 landmark meta-analysis of the effectiveness of psychodynamic psychotherapy treatment by saying,
There is a belief in some quarters that psychodynamic concepts and treatments lack empirical support or that scientific evidence shows that other forms of treatment are more effective. The belief appears to have taken on a life of its own. Academicians repeat it to one another, as do health care administrators, as do health care policymakers. With each repetition, its apparent credibility grows. At some point, there seems little need to question or revisit it because “everyone” knows it to be so. The scientific evidence tells a different story: considerable research supports the efficacy and effectiveness of psychodynamic therapy.