Neuropsychoanalysis

by Georg Northoff

Georg Northoff presents the first introduction to neuropsychoanalysis and the search for a brain-based understanding and explanation of our psyche and its psychodynamic features. This book covers the key features of psychodynamics, including the concepts of self, narcissism, defence mechanisms, unconsciousness/consciousness, attachment and trauma, energy/cathexis, and depression/schizophrenia. After reviewing past and current state-of-the-art models and their limitations, Northoff uniquely links these psychodynamic features to temporal and spatial features in the brain (and body). The key element in connecting brain and mind is dynamic, the pattern of change over from brain dynamic to psychodynamic - dynamic is thus shared by brain and psyche as their "common currency". This spatiotemporal approach offers novel and sometimes surprising insights into the elusive connection of brain and mind. Ultimately, this carries important clinico-therapeutic implications for psychodynamic psychotherapy in a spatiotemporal sense, such as through spatiotemporal psychotherapy. This accessible volume will be of great interest to neuroscientists, neuropsychoanalysts, psychologists, psychoanalysts, and anyone interested in the brain-mind connection. Additional material for the present book including figures and tables as well as short talks about each chapter can be found on this website (www.georgnorthoff.com) including the author’s YouTube channel.

Genres: Psychology

168 pages, Paperback

Published February 10, 2023

Reviews

[Yair Atlas · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I could review the chapters separately, some (e.g. "Attachment and trauma") would be one star and others (e.g. "Self and narcissism") would be five. While there is surely value in this book, far too much is philosophical gobbledygook. For example, the author believes that the nature of the self as connected and integrated into the larger world warrants a view of the self as "intrinsically neuro-ecological." If, by this latter claim, all Northoff means is that the self is profoundly impacted by and nested within the broader world, then his claim is trivially true. However, I suspect he means his belief in the neuro-ecological nature of the self goes further. What this claim actually consists in is not made clear. That being said, the author's claims about trauma, the unconscious, defense mechanisms, depression, etc. and their relation to neuroscientific findings are deeply interesting.

As a final note, this book is in no way "A Contemporary Introduction." It assumes knowledge of both psychoanalysis and neuroscience. Moreover, the author uses this book to put forth many of his own provocative ideas. This is fine, of course, but an introductory work is not the right place.

[Michael Kulyk · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is absolutely useless for someone who's not familiar with the complex neural structures of the brain. There's not one single visual guide in this book. It's pathetic that someone writes a book about neuroscience, the brain, the most complex organ in the body with nothing, absolutely nothing to provide the reader with a visual description for the parts of the brain being talked about. To make matters worse the author brings in neurological terminology and abbreviations without any account of what they mean. All I got from reading the book was eye glaze and a very negative view of the author as being an arrogant person who couldn't care less. I don't understand how an editor could let this book pass in to print. If I were to say the book is incomprehensibly poor it would be an understatement. How something like this could be let pass as an introduction is beyond me. I've given it one star but really that's being way too charitable. Whoever is responsible for editing this book, in my opinion, really doesn't deserve to be in their job, fine work Routledge.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I greatly appreciate the view of neuropsychoanalysis from the perspective of the timing and frequency of the electrical signals. However, it is written in a way that can be difficult to follow.