Copyright Notice

The documents distributed here have been provided as a means to ensure timely dissemination of scholarly and technical work on a noncommercial basis. Copyright and all rights therein are maintained by the authors or by other copyright holders (usually the publisher), notwithstanding that they have offered their works here electronically. It is understood that all persons copying this information will adhere to the terms and constraints by the copyrights acknowledged in the publication. These works may not be reposted without the explicit permission of the copyright holder.

 

2024

Vitkova, V., Cebolla, A., Ristori, D., Bazan, A., Cheron, G. (2024). Long-lasting negativity in the left motoric brain structures during word memory inhibition in the Think/No-Think paradigm. Scientific Reports, 14, 10907. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-60378-y

Flores Mosri, D., Abrams, J., Balchin, R., Barry, V. C., Bazan, A., Biran, I., Coetzer, R., Friston, K., Hjertaas, T., Kessler, R., Moore, P., Muñoz Zúñiga, J.F., Nersessian, E., Olds, D., Solms, M., Turnbull, O., Watt, D., Zellner, M. (2024). Celebration of the 25th anniversary of Neuropsychoanalysis: Saturday, December 2, 2023. Neuropsychoanalysis, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/15294145.2024.2346758

Bazan, A. (2024). The unconscious is structured as a language: Evidence from the lab in support of clinical practice. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10879-024-09651-9

2023

Bazan, A. (2023). Primary and secondary process mentation: Two modes of acting and thinking from Freud to modern neurosciences. Neuropsychoanalysis, DOI: 1080/15294145.2023.2284697

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to return to Freud’s original descriptions of the primary and secondary processes in the light of modern neurosciences. In his Project for a Scientific Psychology, Freud draws the axes of the architecture of a mental apparatus: on a horizontal plane, the primary process transfers the excitation by impinging stimuli over a sequence of analogous states towards their discharge; thus, the primary process is essentially characterized by its associative tendency. On a vertical plane, the secondary process opposes the primary bottom-up pressure by a top-down inhibition with its origins in the purposive idea: the secondary process is essentially characterized by its inhibitory interventions. Freud later proposed that the primary and secondary process are seeking for perceptual, respectively thought identity. These different elements are coherent with the dynamics of the ventral and dorsal brain pathways respectively. Moreover, the dorsal pathway has an inhibitory influence upon the ventral pathway, much like the secondary has upon the primary. This influence is exerted thanks to what Freud called the “indications of reality.” We propose to equate these indications with the efference copies in modern neurosciences since they proceed from the same physiology and have the same function, besides originating from the same Helmholtzian source. Finally, even if both primary and secondary processes serve the death drive through the pleasure and the reality principle respectively, only the secondary process, requiring the bearing of an accumulation of excitations, also serves the life drive.

Résumé en Français : L’objectif de cette étude est de revenir aux descriptions originales de Freud des processus primaires et secondaires à la lumière des neurosciences modernes. Dans son Projet de psychologie scientifique, Freud dessine les axes de l’architecture d’un appareil mental : sur un plan horizontal, le processus primaire transfère l’excitation en faisant entrer des stimuli sur une séquence d’états analogues vers leur décharge ; Ainsi, le processus primaire est essentiellement caractérisé par sa tendance associative. Sur un plan vertical, le processus secondaire s’oppose à la pression primaire ascendante par une inhibition descendante qui trouve son origine dans l’idée téléologique : le processus secondaire est essentiellement caractérisé par ses interventions inhibitrices. Freud a proposé plus tard que le processus primaire et secondaire sont la recherche d’une identité perceptuelle, respectivement de la pensée. Ces différents éléments sont cohérents avec la dynamique des voies cérébrales ventrales et dorsales respectivement. De plus, la voie dorsale a une influence inhibitrice sur la voie ventrale, tout comme la voie secondaire sur la voie primaire. Cette influence s’exerce grâce à ce que Freud appelait les « indications de la réalité ». Nous proposons d’assimiler ces indications aux copies d’efférence des neurosciences modernes puisqu’elles procèdent de la même physiologie et ont la même fonction, en plus de provenir de la même source helmholtzienne. Enfin, même si les processus primaires et secondaires servent respectivement la pulsion de mort par le principe de plaisir et le principe de réalité, seul le processus secondaire, nécessitant l’accumulation d’une accumulation d’excitations, sert également la pulsion de vie.

Olyff, G., & Bazan, A. (2023). People solve rebuses unwittingly – both forward and backward: Empirical evidence for the mental effectiveness of the signifier. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 16. DOI=10.3389/fnhum.2022.965183

Bazan, A., & Brakel, L.A.W. (2023). The GeoCat 1.3, a simple tool for the measurement of Freudian primary and secondary process thinking. Neuropsychoanalysis. DOI: 10.1080/15294145.2023.2169955

Thieffry, L., Olyff, G., Pioda, L., Detandt, S., & Bazan, A. (2023). Running away from phonological ambiguity, we stumble upon our words – Laboratory Induced Slips show differences between high and low defensive people. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 1717:1033671. DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1033671

Polipo, N.F., Willemsen, J., Hustinx, M., Bazan, A. (2023). Developing psychoanalytic case conceptualization skills through didactic teaching: A randomized controlled trial. Psychotherapy Research, DOI: 10.1080/10503307.2023.2241623.

Bazan, A., Olyff, G., Steinig, J., Van de Vijver, G. (2023). On Rebuses, and on Howie. In: The Science of Psychoanalysis: The Realization of Freud’s Promise. Festschrift in Honor of Howard Shevrin, Robert Hunt Berry, editor, pp. 55-72.

2021

Bazan, A. & Van de Vijver, G., Caine, D. (2021). Lacanian neuropsychoanalysis. On the role of language motor dynamics for language processing, and for mental constitution. Dans: Christian Salas, Oliver Turnbull and Mark Solms (Eds.) Clinical Studies in Neuropsychoanalysis 2, Routledge.

In the first volume of Clinical Neuropsychoanalysis, Kaplan-Solms and Solms (2001) compare a patient with a Broca-type aphasia, Mr. J, and one with a Wernicke-type aphasia, Mrs. K. Broadly speaking, the authors find that Mr. J’s ‘ego functioning’ is ‘normal’, i.e. that he can reappraise and adjust to changed realities, even if he has enormous difficulties expressing himself verbally, while Mrs. K’s speech production is fluent but she often ‘goes blank’ mentally, being unable both to understand non-idiomatic speech and to bring her own speech intentions into execution. The authors conclude that (1) “The motor aspect of the word, then, and therefore the motor com- ponent of the speech apparatus – Broca’s area – (…) is little more than an output channel for the ego’s complex workings; its role in verbal thinking is superfluous.” (p. 89; their italics) and (2) “the auditory-component of word presentation does participate in some way in the executive functioning of the ego.” (p. 114). In what follows we will spell out how, to the contrary, in our view the motor component of the speech apparatus is actually constitutive of access to symbolic language (and hence of ego-functioning), while the auditory component is no more than an auxiliary for this access. Having done so, we provide an alternative explanation for Mrs. K’s mental failures and Mr. J’s mental robustness, in terms of dorsal and ventral language pathways, and of secondary and primary processing, in place of the traditional framework of Broca’s and Wernicke’s aphasias.

2020

Bruxelmane, J., Shin, J., Olyff, G. & Bazan, A. (2020). Eyes wide shut: primary process opens up. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 145. DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00145

2019

Balchin, R., Barry, V., Bazan, A., Blechner, M. J., Clarici, A., Mosri, D. F., Fotopoulou, A., Goergen, M. S., Kessler, R., Matthis, I., Zúñiga, J. F. M., Northoff, G., Olds, D., Oppenheim, L., Reismann-Lagrèze, D., Tsakiris, M., Watt, D., Yeates, G., & Zellner, M. (2019). Reflections on 20 years of Neuropsychoanalysis. Neuropsychoanalysis, 21(2), 89-123. DOI: 1080/15294145.2019.1695978

Vanheule, S., Adriaens, P., Bazan, A., Bracke, P., Devisch, I., Feys, J-L., Froyen, B., Gerard, S., Nieman, D., Van Os, J., & Calmeyn, M. (2019). Belgian Governmental Superior Health Council advises against the use of the DSM categories and promotes contextualising psychiatric diagnosis. The Lancet Psychiatry, v6, 726.

Bazan, A., Kushwaha, R., Winer, E.S., Snodgrass, J.M., Brakel, L.A.W, Shevrin, H. (2019). Phonological ambiguity detection outside of consciousness, and its defensive avoidance. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 13, doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2019.00077

Bazan, A., Jorge Mendes, S., Antoine-Moussiaux, J., Prys, D. (2019, February 18). Empirical evidence for psychic transparency in pregnancy. Psychoanalytic Psychology. Advance online publication. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/pap0000212

2018

Bazan, A. & Poenaru, L. (2018). « Le lieu vide comme garant de liberté et de changement. Entretien avec Ariane Bazan ». In analysis (2) 87-92.

Bazan, A. (2018). Psychoanalysis and academia: Psychoanalysis at the crossroads between exact and human sciences, International Forum of Psychoanalysis, DOI: 10.1080/0803706X.2017.1392040

2017

Van de Vijver, G., Bazan, A., Detandt, S. (2017). The Mark, the Thing, and the Object: On What Commands Repetition in Freud and Lacan. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 2244. DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02244

Steinig, J., Bazan, A. Happe, S., Antonetti, S., Shevrin, H. (2017). Processing of a subliminal rebus during sleep: Idiosyncratic primary versus secondary process associations upon awakening of REM- versus non-REM-sleep. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 1955. DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01955

Detandt, S., Bazan, A., Quertemont, E., & Verbanck, P. (2017). Smoking addiction the shift from head to hands. Approach bias towards smoking-related cues in low dependent versus dependent smokers. Journal of Psychopharmacology; 31(7):819-829. doi: 10.1177/0269881117699606.

Detandt, S., Bazan, A., Schroder, E., Olyff, G., Kajosch, H., Verbanck, P., & Campanella, S. (2017). A smoking-related background helps smokers to focus. An Event-Related Potentials study during a Go-NoGo Task in smokers. Clinical Neurophysiology, 128, 1872-1885.  pdf

Bazan, A. (2017). Alpha synchronization as a brain model for unconscious defense: An overview of the work of Howard Shevrin and his team.  The International Journal of Psychoanalysis doi:10.1111/1745-8315.12629 .    pdf IJP 2017

 

Bazan, A. & Detandt, S. (2017). The grand challenge for psychoanalysis and neuropsychoanalysis: a science of the subject. Frontiers in Psychology 8, 1259 doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01259.   

Detandt, S., Leys, C. & Bazan, A., (2017). A French Translation of the Pleasure Arousal Dominance (PAD) Semantic Differential Scale for the Measure of Affect and Drive. Psychologica Belgica, 57(1), 17–31.  DOI: http://doi.org/10.5334/pb.340

2016

Mosri, D. F., Axmacher, N., Bazan, A. & Kessler, R. J. (2016). Continued Dialogue on The Oxford-style Debate from the 15th Annual Congress of the International Neuropsychoanalysis Society New York City, 2014, Neuropsychoanalysis, 18(1), 69-77.

2015

Bazan, A. (2015). The Role of Biology in the Advent of Psychology. Neuropsychoanalysis and the Foundation of a Mental Level of Causality. In: Neuroscience and Critique: Exploring the Limits or Neurological Turn. Jan De Vos et Ed Pluth, 173-187.

Claes, S., Vanbouwel, V., Haekens, A., Eneman, M., Otte, G., De Lepeleire, J., Calmeyn, M., Bazan, A., & Lemmens, W. (2015). Euthanasia for psychiatric patients: ethical and legal concerns about the Belgian practice. BMJ Open 5:7 e007454 doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2014-007454 (IF : 2.413)

Bazan, A. & Detandt, S. (2015). Trauma and jouissance, a neuropsychoanalytic perspective. Journal of the Centre for Freudian Analysis and Research (JCFAR), 26, 99-127.

Bazan, A. (2015). Speaking to the subject or speaking to the function: each address requires its proper terms – Commentary. The Oxford-style debate: the 15th neuropsychoanalysis congress, New York, 2014: “This house believes that neuroscientific terms must never replace psychoanalytic ones”. Neuropsychoanalysis. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15294145.2015.1038131

2013

Bazan, A. (2013). Repression as the condition for consciousness. Invited commentary on : “The conscious Id”, M. Solms. Neuropsychoanalysis, 25, 1, 20-24. 

Bazan, A. & Detandt, S. (2013).  On the physiology of jouissance: interpreting the mesolimbic dopaminergic reward functions from a psychoanalytic perspective. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2013.00709