Unconscious Activity Research Articles

Freud, a realidade psíquica e a tentação do transcendental

A noção freudiana de "realidade psíquica" merece ser interrogada a partir do conceito kantiano de transcendental, uma vez que ela levanta a questão das condições de possibilidade da experiência; e isso a partir de um ponto de vista tríplice: o do aparelho psíquico, de sua estrutura e da atividade inconsciente; o ponto de vista da obrigação moral; e o da experiência estética. Em cada caso, os embaraços de Freud para determinar um fundamento empírico deixam perceber ao mesmo tempo a tentação e a resistência para com a explicação transcendental. Mas isso pode também conduzir a uma revisão do conceito filosófico de "realidade".

Dr. Shulman Replies

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article Letter to the EditorFull AccessDr. Shulman RepliesROBERT G. SHULMAN, PH.D., ROBERT G. SHULMANSearch for more papers by this author, PH.D., New Haven, Conn.Published Online:1 Nov 2001https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.158.11.1940AboutSectionsView EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail To the Editor: Dr. Gossart’s reaffirmation of the mind-brain linkage was, as he indicated, in agreement with my review. Psychiatrists, among others, by interpreting functional imaging experiments in terms of incremental localized activity, assume a particular model of mind-brain dualism, which breaks the linkage. The mind, in this interpretation, consists of computer-like modules that respond to specific stimuli. My article showed high rates of neuronal firing in the resting brain, which are required for purposeful brain behavior. The presence of these large, meaningful neuronal activities at rest allows for explanations in terms of subjective dynamics. If psychiatry were to use its core understanding to interpret these measurements of resting brain activity, it would be well positioned to explore mechanisms linking brain and mind. However, if we continue to use a psychology that ignores unconscious activities in order to explain functional imaging, the mind, the behavior of the brain, will remain a distant, dualistic goal. FiguresReferencesCited byDetailsCited byNone Volume 158Issue 11 November 2001Pages 1940-1940 Metrics History Published online 1 November 2001 Published in print 1 November 2001

Unconscious secrets

Unconscious secrets

Davanloo's technique of mobilization of the unconscious

This article focuses on the application of Davanloo's Central Dynamic Sequence in order to mobilize the unconscious of a patient, where initially no traces whatsoever of unconscious activation could be detected. The importance of monitoring ‘the guidelines to the unconscious’ like Dr Davanloo has called a set of scientific parameters linked with unconscious activity, is emphasized. As otherwise the therapist gets lost in his attempt to undo, together with the patient, ‘the sealing off’ which is a result of many years of severing any connection with the unconscious. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Davanloo's technique of mobilization of the unconscious

This article focuses on the application of Davanloo's Central Dynamic Sequence in order to mobilize the unconscious of a patient, where initially no traces whatsoever of unconscious activation could be detected. The importance of monitoring ‘the guidelines to the unconscious’ like Dr Davanloo has called a set of scientific parameters linked with unconscious activity, is emphasized. As otherwise the therapist gets lost in his attempt to undo, together with the patient, ‘the sealing off’ which is a result of many years of severing any connection with the unconscious. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

THE BRAIN AS A CONSCIOUS SYSTEM*

A mathematically specified model of the brain/mind working by the physically realisable processes of quantum holography is proposed, in which mental events autonomously cause neural events. These are made manifest by adaptive resonance so as to elicit the stream of consciousness of which we are all aware. This takes place against a background of unconscious activity, for example the taxonomization and storage of sensory experience and mental activity in the form of a distributed, paged, holographic memory. The very considerable benefits of this form of memory and the associated image and signal processing by adaptive filtering are explained. It is shown that such a model exhibits many of the basic features of the actual morphology and dynamics of human brains including the possibility of language and logic as enhancements to the primary capabilities of perception and cognition. It confirms the nature of our personal experience as having a conscious mental self or ghost in the machine, in accordance with the traditional dualist-metaphysics of a physical brain and a separate mind which interact.

Learning, memory and technology

The literature about organizational learning, and consequently about organizational memory, suggests various motivations leading an organization to consider these topics as part of its management s...

Paradoxical Breathing in Reflex Yoga

Reflex Yoga is based on the observation that the unconscious mind has far greater control of behavior, posture and breathing than the conscious mind. There is an immense amount of unconscious activity involved in standing, sitting and breathing. With perseverance we can "stand up straight" and "breathe deeply and evenly," and these instructions can be internalized and habitualized. But we must ask if this is the purpose and goal of yoga, even when backed by scientific research and traditional authority.

Folk In-Situ Conservation of Ensete [Ensete ventricosum (Welw.) E.E. Cheesman]: Toward the Interpretation of Indigenous Agricultural Science of the Ari, Sowthwestern Ethiopia

By employing the concept of "indigenous agricultural science," both construc­ tive and unconscious activities of the Omotic Ari people in southwestern Ethiopia, who cul­ tivate as well as preserve ensete genetic resources. are exemplified and described. The Ari people are so deliberate and accurate in their efforts to keep the diversity of ensete landraces as compared to the ex-situ conservation of plant genetic resources performed by research sta­ tions and gene banks. By their folk belief system, not only the cultivated populations but the wild populations of ensete are also conserved in a ritual sanctuary. Moreover, there are cer­ tain mechanisms of bringing into cultivated populations new genotypes originated from natural crosses between cultivated populations and wild populations. The Ari's conservation­ al efforts can be considered as one of a few ideal cases of in-sitll conservation of crop genetic resources. Proper interpretation of their "folk in-situ conservation" activities for ensete can eventually lead us to full understanding of their indigenous agricultural sciences.

The role of myth as a bridge in human consciousness.

Abstract Human consciousness can be described by means of a linguistic model in which mythic images and narratives bridge conscious and unconscious mental activity, as well as helping to connect individuals with their culture. Information is constantly being exchanged among these three sources through verbal and nonverbal language. Mythology's dialectical structure is illustrated by the analysis of an Australian aboriginal myth.

Humor

Humor theory has evolved from various disciplines. Numerous professionals have published literature and research studies that examine the historical perspective of humor and the current practice of humor in health care. Historically, researchers have found humor to be an unconscious activity developed from childhood to adulthood. They describe humor as spontaneous and incongruent, involving a changing state of mind. Currently, health care professionals and patients are utilizing humor as a coping mechanism, as a communication skill, and as a tool to promote the psychological and physiological healing process. This article describes how humor theory has evolved, the use of humor in health care, and humor as an adjunct therapy in oncology. Oncology nurses can utilize humor as a part of the nursing process in the care provided to patients and families.

A Comparison of Archaeological and Empathic Modes of Listening

A Comparison of Archaeological and Empathic Modes of Listening Lawrence Josephs, Ph.D. ARCHAEOLOGICAL LISTENING COULD be defined as a manner of listening in which the analyst attempts to derive the unconscious meaning (latent content) of the patient's communications through a process of deciphering the manifest content. The essence of archaeological listening was articulated by Freud (1900) in his method of dream interpretation, which came to serve as a prototype for the interpretation of all aspects of subjective experience, since remembered dreams, like any other form of conscious mentation, were thought to reflect a compromise between the conflicting and unconscious forces within the mind. In this model, conscious experience was presumed to be but a pale reflection of unconscious activity. The unconscious is the true psychical reality; in its innermost nature it is as much unknown to us as the reality of the external world, and it is as incompletely presented by the data of consciousness as is the external world by the communications of our sense organs (Freud, 1900p. 613). The archaeological metaphor is apropos in terms of the topographic model, in that unconscious activity reflects a regression (i.e. a return to the past) when compared with conscious mentation. Freud described three types of regression that may be discerned in unconscious activity: (a) topographical regression, in the sense of the schematic picture of the Ψ-systems which we have explained above; (b) temporal regression, in so far as what is in question is a harking back to older psychical structures; and (c) formal regression, where primitive methods of expression and representation take the place of the usual ones (1900p. 548). In temporal regression, a dream or, for that matter, any other

Post-Hypnotic Suggestion and the Existence of Unconscious Mental Activity

Post-Hypnotic Suggestion and the Existence of Unconscious Mental Activity

Post-hypnotic suggestion and the existence of unconscious mental activity

Post-hypnotic suggestion and the existence of unconscious mental activity

Monsters of the mind: Nonsense poetry and art psychotherapy

It has been observed that participants involved in creative workshops, expressing their feelings in nonverbal media, have often been spontaneously stimulated to produce “therapeutic poems” as well, “as if the non-verbal creative energy released in the art experience had overflowed into the verbal form of poetic expression” (Leedy & Rapp, 1973). Conversely, it can happen that poetry will move its readers to the production of highly original “therapeutic” works of art. I define therapeutic art as that which gives its creator a sense of satisfaction, preferably through an expression, understanding and even resolution of his previously unconfronted emotional conflicts. Such conflicts tend to nest deep in the unconscious mind, the pathways to which are few: psychoanalysis is a long and costly road and requires an expert guide; dreams, if properly interpreted, provide “the royal road to a knowledge of the unconscious activities of the mind,” as Freud (1965) said, but it remains for poetry to give us an everyman’s highway to be traveled by day, the loveliest, quickest road of all. I therefore embarked on a quest for the Jabberwock, employing Lewis Carroll’s magnificent nonsense poem “Jabberwocky” from 7hrough the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There to stimulate a group of subjects into capturing the fabulous monster on paper. Many people fail to take nonsense literature seriously. The problem, as in the case of Dr. Pepper, “the misunderstood soft drink,” lies in the name. Nonsense literature is not without sense, but rather is that which deals in a humorous or whimsical way with odd or grotesque themes, characters or actions, often employing coined words that are evocative, but have no accepted meaning. If poems are considered to be like dreams for.poetry, like dreams, uses symbols (metaphors), free association of words and images, condensation and merging of concepts, and deliberate distortion of reality in the service of heightening or softening emotional response then it is fitting for poems to be humorous, for Freud (1965) realized early in his exploration of the dream phenomena that dreams and jokes are closely related. “In waking reality,” he wrote, “I have little claim to be regarded as a wit. If my dreams seem amusing, that is not on my account, but on account of the peculiar psychological conditions under

The Unconscious in the Anthropology of Claude Levi-Strauss

Levi-Strauss claims that the unconscious activity of mind is more important than the conscious one for understanding social phenomena and that the unconscious consists of an aggregate of forms, which are imposed on psychological and physical content. The real inspiration of Levi-Strauss' notion is the Kantian notion of mental constraints and the postulate of isomorphism of mental and physical laws. The methodological usefulness of the unconscious as a principle of intelligibility is placed in evidence.

The Voice of the Symbol

Throughout history men have sought to squeeze a little logic out of the absurdity of life by making use of symbolic thinking. Unfortunately, ignorance of this often unconscious activity is widespread, and Dr. Grotjahn, with 40 years of psychoanalytic practice behind him, believes it vital for us to understand the extent of this ignorance and to correct it. His book is a collection of essays on symbolic thought in a wide variety of situations—some historical, some contemporary. Naturally, there are chapters on dream symbols and on the symbols in psychoanalytic theory, which follow a Freudian path. There is an interesting biographical study of Georg Groddeck, an unconventional physician. Grotjahn also explores the multiple symbolism in Hieronymus Bosch's masterwork, "The Millennium" (a triptych showing the creation of Eve, the Garden of Earthly Delights, and Hell). This picture he interprets as an illustrated text for a medieval sect called the New Adamites,

Perceptual Consciousness

In his contribution to Human Senses and Perception, R. J. Hirst has made a number of important suggestions about perceptual consciousness, (i) He has emphasised the need to describe ‘what the percipient is or may be conscious of’ from the percipient's own point of view (p. 294). This mode of description is contrasted with stimulus or neurological description. Perceptual consciousness of one object is distinguished from perceptual consciousness of another object ‘only by or on the evidence of, the person concerned’ (p. 295). The method of obtaining descriptions of perceptual consciousness is either to question a percipient or to reflect on our own experience, (ii) The second important point stressed by Hirst is that the end product of perceiving is ‘the conscious experience of external objects’ (p. 303). Such an obvious point is often lost sight of in behavioural, dispositional, or neurophysiological analyses, (iii) The third and final suggestion made by Hirst to which I want to call attention is the usefulness of a genetic hypothesis to explain and account for perceptual consciousness. Hirst feels that perceptual consciousness is ‘unanalysable at the conscious level’, meaning (a) that it is ‘a unitary awareness of objects or scenes’ and (b) that the ‘various interacting unconscious activities’ which coexist with awareness ‘cannot be brought forward into consciousness’ (p. 305). The various analytical theories of perception (e.g. the traditional empiricist, the sense-datum) have been designed to break perceptual consciousness into its components. This has resulted in their being false to perceptual consciousness. A genetic explanation of awareness has several advantages, prime among them being its ability to explain the complexity and development of awareness.

Perceptual Consciousness

In his contribution to Human Senses and Perception, R. J. Hirst has made a number of important suggestions about perceptual consciousness, (i) He has emphasised the need to describe ‘what the percipient is or may be conscious of’ from the percipient's own point of view (p. 294). This mode of description is contrasted with stimulus or neurological description. Perceptual consciousness of one object is distinguished from perceptual consciousness of another object ‘only by or on the evidence of, the person concerned’ (p. 295). The method of obtaining descriptions of perceptual consciousness is either to question a percipient or to reflect on our own experience, (ii) The second important point stressed by Hirst is that the end product of perceiving is ‘the conscious experience of external objects’ (p. 303). Such an obvious point is often lost sight of in behavioural, dispositional, or neurophysiological analyses, (iii) The third and final suggestion made by Hirst to which I want to call attention is the usefulness of a genetic hypothesis to explain and account for perceptual consciousness. Hirst feels that perceptual consciousness is ‘unanalysable at the conscious level’, meaning (a) that it is ‘a unitary awareness of objects or scenes’ and (b) that the ‘various interacting unconscious activities’ which coexist with awareness ‘cannot be brought forward into consciousness’ (p. 305). The various analytical theories of perception (e.g. the traditional empiricist, the sense-datum) have been designed to break perceptual consciousness into its components. This has resulted in their being false to perceptual consciousness. A genetic explanation of awareness has several advantages, prime among them being its ability to explain the complexity and development of awareness.

Anthropomorphism

Anthropomorphism