Neuropsychoanalysis: the anatomy of truth

 

It is my profound and decided pleasure to introduce a discipline which has received little notoriety, but, contains the very essence of what is least available amongst human endeavor––unvarnished truth. Human conscious personality is constructed around resistances and defenses which keep the underlying unconscious dynamic well hidden, and indeed, the hideous aspects of the human equation which are contained in the repressed unconscious store, offer real incentive for all to detest psychoanalysis––which history has rejected with great force, as is the case with all unvarnished and unflattering human truth. The sooner this ugly thing is forgotten the better! Such is the historical pronouncement of the work of Freud, a pronouncement most intelligible if defensive: these facts must be denied…because they are true! The facts about psychoanalysis are available to understand and confirm by direct and simple means––if one reads the Freud, and is fool enough to quell the natural resistances and understand the text, one can try the techniques out on one's self. Indeed, Freud discovered these unflattering truths in no small part, by analyzing his own dreams, and saw himself as his most important patient (Freud, 1897, p. 259, 268; 1900). This level of honesty is quite rare; few can pierce such resistance, and fewer still, are willing to admit the fact of what they found.

 

Freud, in his early work, was concerned with matters of physiology, and prior to founding psychoanalysis, proposed a possible model by which psychology might be scientifically explained in neurophysiological terms (Freud, 1895). Although due to the historical limitations of scientific development at the time, this project was abandoned, today, technology exists whereby through experimental means, much of Freudian psychology can have the underlying mechanisms of its efficacy made manifest. Of course, this proposition is not a popular one, even as it is essential. Ergo: neuropsychoanalysis is not a popular discipline––because it is factually accurate.

 

Even those amongst the ranks of neuropsychoanalysis can be squeamish when it comes to accepting the uncomfortable and unflattering realities of specific unconscious content and its implications (Brown, 2010). It seems the more poetic, intelligent and beautiful the soul, the less likely to accept the facts without distortion. As someone who uses psychoanalysis each day, and makes a routine matter of removing neurotic symptoms in minutes with its methods, you can not imagine my pleasure and surprise to read the writings of Mark Solms, a founder of this discipline, whose views have been sorely misrepresented. Mark Solms, has done the unspeakable––he has written intelligibly, and factually, of the mind. Yes…the books can be understood. The articles, and the anatomy to which they refer, are intelligible to any somewhat intelligent person familiar with the full volume of Freud's writing. If you have read the Freud, now, you can understand so very much truth, thanks to Mark Solms.

 

I wish to recommend a book with the utmost enthusiasm: Clinical Studies in Neuropsychoanalysis. This splendid tome, written by Mark Solms and his amazingly intelligent wife Karen, take the complex matters of Freudian metapsychology and neuroanatomy, and begins to do what only a true genius can: weave a demonstrable, deep, intelligible picture of the active dynamic, both mental and physical, of the mind of man. Here, is a beginning, a simplicity born of the chaos. We have known for around one hundred years now, that Freudian psychology cures neurotic illness––only a beautiful mind needs to mistake this truth for supposition, and now, thanks to doctors Mark and Karen Solms, we know how. Read this book, and you will be able to understand the more technical papers. Then, you will find even those papers, are well written, and intelligible (Solms, 2013). This first, then, the details will become accessible.

 

Mark Solms and his neuropsychoanalysis are my favorite. Such amazing insight! The disciplines of psychoanalysis, and neuropsychoanalysis alike, are based on "dual aspect monism." This fruitful approach is most worthy, and I will honor it with many future articles written in neuropsychoanalytic style, which will reveal many new and startling truths. However, I believe it is possible to exceed even this limit––and demonstrate a pure monism, an observable direct correlation between neurotic illness, Freudian metapsychology, and physiology. For those of you twice brave, I invite you to read on, and open the next two sections on Native Psychoanalysis and Quantitative Unconscious theory. I have, in the worst possible taste, designed a method to scientifically, psychologically, and then, quantitatively, reveal the most unpleasant and symptomatically decisive contents of the repressed unconscious, giving active and clear demonstration of our least flattering human psychical constituents. Please return to this section for our unflattering human truth spoken aloud in good taste––and the next, for the same, spoken too loudly, and without heed.

 

––Rich Norman

 

References:

 

Brown, J. (2010). Neuropsychological foundations of conscious experience. Belgium: Les Editions Chromatika. www.chromatika.com

 

Freud, S. (1886-1899). The standard edition of the complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud volume one: Pre-psychoanalytic publications and unpublished drafts. London: Hogarth Press.

 

Freud, S. (1900). The standard edition of the complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud volumes four and five: The Interpretation of Dreams. London: Hogarth Press.

 

Kaplan-Solms, K., & Solms, M. (2002). Clinical studies in neuropsychoanalysis: Introduction to a depth neuropsychology. London.: Karnac Press.

 

Solms, M. (2013). The conscious id. Neuropsychoanalysis. 15 (1): 5-19.