The indissociable unity of psyche and soma: a view from the Paris Psychosomatic School.
Depending on whether or not psyche/soma is seen as singular or dual, one may construct different systems explaining man and the world, life and death. In the author's view, the discoveries of psychoanalysis offer a perfectly cogent and unique solution to the famous mind/body problem. In transferring the duality psyche/soma on to the duality of drives, psychoanalysis places the origin of the thought process in the body. In Beyond the pleasure principle, Freud discusses the drastic effect of a painful somatic illness on the distribution and modalities of the libido. He provides a starting point for the Paris Psychosomatic School's psychoanalytical approach to patients afflicted with somatic illnesses. To illustrate the technical implications of this theory the author relates two clinical cases.
Aisenstein
Marilia
M
Paris Psychosomatic School, 72 rue d'Assas, F-75006 Paris, France. mariliaais@hotmail.com
D000328:Adult; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology; D002409:Cathexis; D004325:Dreams; D004328:Drive; D005260:Female; D005619:Freudian Theory; D005910:Glioma / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D019222:Mind-Body Relations, Metaphysical; D010990:Pleasure-Pain Principle; D011573:Psychoanalytic Interpretation; D011574:Psychoanalytic Theory; D011575:Psychoanalytic Therapy; D011602:Psychophysiologic Disorders / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D012043:Regression, Psychology; D012094:Repression, Psychology; D012803:Sick Role