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The Israeli Forum of Neuropsychoanalysis has been working for the last 10 years. Last year, it invited Profs. Mark Solms, Jaak Panksepp, Georg Northoff, Rafael Malach, and Dr. Eli Wertman to the second get-together study day, entitled “The Self: A Neurobehavioral Structure, Definitions, Perspectives and Methodologies.” Since there was so much interest in different aspects of the discussions, the forum added weekly meetings of three specialized groups, who later reported their understanding and achievements to the whole forum.
The Minimal Consciousness (MCS) group is lead by Aviva Edelman, a neuropsychologist from Beit Lowenstein Rehabilitation Institute. The question arose whether in the state of unconsciousness one can speak in terms of a self and, if so, what kind of self this would be. As we know, people in various states of unconsciousness cannot communicate in a usual manner, much to the frustration of caregivers struggling to improve their therapeutic efforts with these patients.
MCS is the third and mildest phase of unconscious states, after recovery from coma and the vegetative state. At this stage the patient is awake but cannot perform purposeful action or communicate his feelings and thoughts to the outside world. However, recent fMRI findings support some previous speculations as to cognitive and emotional brain activity occurring during these unconscious states, suggesting some prereflective nonverbal awareness (Laureys, Boly, & Maquet, 2006; Owen et al., 2006).
Combining the experience of five members of the Israeli Forum of Neuropsychoanalysis, coming from the fields of rehabilitation medicine, behavioral neurology, psychology, fetus & infant observation, and movement therapy, we are applying methods of infant observation based on the practice of Esther Bick and the Tavistock Clinic. Based on prior observations, we have been hypothesizing that there is a resemblance between processes occurring between MCS patients and their caregivers and the processes f