Teoria e ricerca in psicoanalisi. Commentario di Psicoanalisi Contemporanea per lo studente di Psicologia e di Medicina

Questo testo è inteso prevalentemente per lo studente universitario che voglia conoscere gli sviluppi della psicoanalisi contemporanea. Freud distingueva ciò che è possibile trasmettere in ambito universitario alla psicoanalisi cioè informare, da ciò che non è possibile, cioè formare, almeno non attraverso lezioni frontali. All’Università è possibile informare su la psicoanalisi ma non formare in psicoanalisi. Questo libro vuole essere un contributo affinché lo studente possa almeno apprendere qualcosa “circa la psicoanalisi”, come auspicato da Freud. L’Autore si attiene principalmente al pensiero neofreudiano, rifacendosi in particolare al lavoro clinico e teorico di Joseph Sandler, uno psicoanalista allievo di Anna Freud, che ha grandemente contribuito ad avvicinare il modello psicoanalitico strutturale con la teoria delle relazioni oggettuali. Joseph Sandler (insieme alla moglie Anne-Marie) è stato uno dei principali artefici della cosiddetta quiet revolution, che (senza il “narcisismo delle piccole differenze”, e senza l’enfasi magniloquente così diffusa tra gli autori psicoanalitici), ha portato la psicoanalisi verso una psicologica clinica dei sentimenti e dell’adattamento intrapsichico. Il progetto di questo “commentario” è di fornire un quadro descrittivo, sulla base di questo modello psicoanalitico, dei principali funzionamenti della mente e di come questi processi si intreccino per strutturare l’identità personale

Effects of mindfulness meditation on conscious and non-conscious components of the mind

The aim of the present review is to investigate previous studies concerning the effects of meditation and dispositional mindfulness on conscious and implicit or non-conscious attitudes. First we present a brief perspective on conscious and non-conscious states of mind. Then we introducethefundamentalbasesofmindfulnessmeditation. Third we review studies on dispositional mindfulness and meditation that employed either direct or indirect measures to assess explicit and implicit attitudes. Finally, we briefly present how meditation has been associated with the psychotherapeutic practice of psychoanalysis and, hence, as a therapeutic technique to access the unconscious. Until now, few studies have investigated the impact of meditation on non-conscious states of mind and personality; nevertheless, both scientific studies involving implicit measures and reflections from psychotherapy have underlined the importance of meditation in promoting psychological well-being, leading to de-automatization of automatic patterns of responding and to higher levels of self-awareness

Book review: Mark Solms (2021) The Hidden Spring. Journey to the Source of Consciousness

Scientific production in psychology, especially in intersection with neurobiology, encompasses a vast array of methodologically impeccable works, rigorous research, and sophisticated statistical elaborations

Neuromodulation of safety and surprise in the early stages of infant development: affective homeostatic regulation in bodily and mental functions

Developing a sense of internal safety and security depends mainly on others: numerous neuromodulators play a significant role in the homeostatic process, regulating the importance of proximity to a caregiver and experiencing feelings that enable us to regulate our interdependence with our conspecifics since birth. This array of neurofunctional structures have been called the SEPARATION DISTRESS system (now more commonly known as the PANIC/ GRIEF system). This emotional system is mainly involved in the production of depressive symptoms. The disruption of this essential emotional balance leads to the onset of feelings of panic followed by depression. We will focus on the neuropeptides that play a crucial role in social approach behavior in mammals, which enhance prosocial behavior and facilitate the consolidation of social bonds. We propose that most prosocial behaviors are regulated through the specific neuromodulators acting on salient intersubjective stimuli, reflecting an increased sense of inner confidence (safety) in social relationships. This review considers the neurofunctional link between the feelings that may ultimately be at the base of a sense of inner safety and the central neuromodulatory systems. This link may shed light on the clinical implications for the development of early mother-infant bonding and the depressive clinical consequences when this bond is disrupted, such as in post-partum depression, depressive feelings connected to, addiction, neurofunctional disorders, and psychological trauma

Validation of the italian translation of the affective neuroscience personality scales

Summary.-The theoretical perspective on affective neuroscience advanced by Panksepp, identified six basic innate affective systems: the SEEK, FEAR, ANGER, SADNESS, PLAY, and CARE systems. (3) It has been proposed that the fundamental elements of human personality and its variants may be based on the different expressions of these basic emotional systems and their combinations. A self-report inventory, the Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales (ANPS), has been devised with the aim of studying and evaluating personality from this perspective. This study reports data on the initial validation of ANPS Italian translation on a sample of 418 adult participants. Descriptive statistics for each scale were calculated, assessing also their internal consistency, as a measure of reliability and factorial validity. Acceptable internal consistency was found in all but one scale (SADNESS), and a second-order factor analysis identified a more general affective feature of personality hinging on relational characteristics, independent of the dimensions of general positive and negative affect

Intranasal adminsitration of oxytocin in postnatal depression: Implications for psychodynamic psychotherapy from a randomized double-blind pilot study

Oxytocin is a neuropeptide that is active in the central nervous system and is generally considered to be involved in prosocial behaviors and feelings. In light of its documented positive effect on maternal behavior, we designed a study to ascertain whether oxytocin exerts any therapeutic effects on depressive symptoms in women affected by maternal postnatal depression. A group of 16 mothers were recruited in a randomized double-blind study: the women agreed to take part in a brief course of psychoanalytic psychotherapy (12 sessions, once a week) while also being administered, during the 12-weeks period, a daily dose of intranasal oxytocin (or a placebo). The pre-treatment evaluation also included a personality assessment of the major primary-process emotional command systems described by Panksepp (1998) and a semi-quantitative assessment by the therapist of the mother\u2019s depressive symptoms and of her personality. No significant effect on depressive symptomatology was found following the administration of oxytocin (as compared to a placebo) during the period of psychotherapy. Nevertheless, a personality trait evaluation of the mothers, conducted in our overall sample group, showed a decrease in the narcissistic trait only within the group who took oxytocin. The depressive (dysphoric) trait was in fact significantly affected by psychotherapy (this effect was only present in the placebo group so it may reflect a positive placebo effect enhancing the favorable influence of psychotherapy on depressive symptoms) but not in the presence of oxytocin. Therefore, the neuropeptide would appear to play some role in the modulation of cerebral functions involved in the self-centered (narcissistic) dimension of the suffering that can occur with postnatal depression. Based on these results, there was support for our hypothesis that what is generally defined as postnatal depression may include disturbances of narcissistic affective balance, and oxytocin supplementation can counteract that type of affective disturbance. The resulting improvements in well-being, reflected in better self-centering in post-partuent mothers, may in turn facilitate better interpersonal acceptance of (and interactions with) the child and thereby, improved recognition of the child\u2019s needs

The use of Lausanne Trilogue Play in three cases of gastroschisis diagnosed during pregnancy

From pregnancy to the 1st years of a child\u2019s life, families develop and increase representations and interactive competences toward the child. Prenatal diagnosis of a severe fetus\u2019 defect could profoundly alter the parental perception and development of these representations. The aim of the study was to evaluate triadic interactions in families, whose baby was prenatally diagnosed with severe gastroschisis. Three families took part in the preliminary case study, which was carried out when the babies were 6 months old. The Lausanne Trilogue Play shows that prenatal diagnosis of fetal malformation may affect family triadic interactions as follows: (a) parents, especially mothers, tend to be intrusive during the play; (b) parents presents maladjustments in the child stimulations, especially during the third part, when both parents have to simultaneously interact with the baby; (c) parents experience difficulties in creating a space that allows them to communicate directly with each other, leaving the child in a peripheral position. Observational data and clinical implications are discussed

Evolutionary aspects of self- and world consciousness in vertebrates

Although most aspects of world and self-consciousness are inherently subjective, neuroscience studies in humans and non-human animals provide correlational and causative indices of specific links between brain activity and representation of the self and the world. In this article we review neuroanatomic, neurophysiological and neuropsychological data supporting the hypothesis that different levels of self and world representation in vertebrates rely upon (i) a \u201cbasal\u201d subcortical system that includes brainstem, hypothalamus and central thalamic nuclei and that may underpin the primary (or anoetic) consciousness likely present in all vertebrates; and (ii) a forebrain system that include the medial and lateral structures of the cerebral hemispheres and may sustain the most sophisticated forms of consciousness [e.g., noetic (knowledge based) and autonoetic, reflective knowledge]. We posit a mutual, bidirectional functional influence between these two major brain circuits. We conclude that basic aspects of consciousness like primary self and core self (based on anoetic and noetic consciousness) are present in many species of vertebrates and that, even self-consciousness (autonoetic consciousness) does not seem to be a prerogative of humans and of some non-human primates but may, to a certain extent, be present in some other mammals and bird

La fonte nascosta. Un viaggio alle origini della coscienza

Come può l’attività del cervello dar luogo alla coscienza? Il filosofo della mente David Chalmers lo ha definito il «problema difficile» delle neuroscienze contemporanee, e molti lo ritengono il più grande enigma di tutte le scienze. Si tratta di comprendere non solo quali processi cerebrali siano correlati alla coscienza, ma anche in che modo la generano. Un problema che in questo libro Mark Solms, neuroscienziato e psicoanalista, affronta con un approccio risolutamente anticonvenzionale, in cui confluiscono le sue ricerche sui sogni e le conversazioni con numerosi pazienti cerebrolesi. In passato si pensava che la corteccia cerebrale, in quanto sede dell’intelligenza, lo fosse anche della coscienza. Secondo Solms, la coscienza ha invece un’origine molto più antica, e nasce in un’area del cervello meno «nobile», il tronco dell’encefalo, che gli esseri umani condividono con tutti gli altri mammiferi e persino con i pesci. Qui risiede la «fonte nascosta» degli affetti. A una coscienza cognitiva, rivolta verso il mondo esterno, si contrappone dunque una coscienza emotiva, un sentire primitivo, viscerale, che ha una funzione adattativa, giacché le sensazioni di piacere e dispiacere sono la bussola che ci consente di navigare nel mare dell’incertezza e di mantenere l’equilibrio omeostatico indispensabile per rimanere in vita. Solms ci invita così a intraprendere un viaggio avventuroso alle origini della coscienza e, a partire dagli albori della neurologia e della psicoanalisi, ci guida sino alle frontiere delle moderne neuroscienze. E la conclusione non mancherà di far discutere: «finché non riusciremo a costruire una macchina cosciente, non potremo affermare di avere risolto il problema difficile»

La via trasformativa del dolore: dall\u2019ansia ai meccanismi di difesa

uesto testo e\u300 inteso prevalentemente per lo studente universitario che voglia conoscere gli sviluppi della psicoanalisi contemporanea. Freud distingueva cio\u300 che e\u300 possibile trasmettere in ambito universitario alla psicoanalisi cioe\u300 informare, da cio\u300 che non e\u300 possibile, cioe\u300 formare, almeno non attraverso lezioni frontali. All\u2019Universita\u300 e\u300 possibile informare su la psicoanalisi ma non formare in psicoanalisi. Questo libro vuole essere un contributo affinche\u301 lo studente possa almeno apprendere qualcosa \u201ccirca la psicoanalisi\u201d, come auspicato da Freud. L\u2019Autore si attiene principalmente al pensiero neofreudiano, rifacendosi in particolare al lavoro clinico e teorico di Joseph Sandler, uno psicoanalista allievo di Anna Freud, che ha grandemente contribuito ad avvicinare il modello psicoanalitico strutturale con la teoria delle relazioni oggettuali. Joseph Sandler (insieme alla moglie Anne-Marie) e\u300 stato uno dei principali artefici della cosiddetta quiet revolution, che (senza il \u201cnarcisismo delle piccole differenze\u201d, e senza l\u2019enfasi magniloquente cosi\u300 diffusa tra gli autori psicoanalitici), ha portato la psicoanalisi verso una psicologica clinica dei sentimenti e dell\u2019adattamento intrapsichico. Il progetto di questo \u201ccommentario\u201d e\u300 di fornire un quadro descrittivo, sulla base di questo modello psicoanalitico, dei principali funzionamenti della mente e di come questi processi si intreccino per strutturare l\u2019identita\u300 personale