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Northoff is a long-time participant in the development of neuropsychoanalysis. He brings a lot of expertise to the debate and I very much looked forward to reading his book titled Neuropsychoanalysis: A contemporary introduction. On the one hand, I expected a lot of familiar ground; on the other, inspiration to think further.
My expectations were halfway met because I did not find so much familiar ground. In fact, I found very little. However, the book offers much to think about. Even the title can be confusing, as it is not an introduction to the neuropsychoanalysis I am familiar with, but an introduction to Northoff’s neuropsychoanalysis.
Northoff’s ambition is to bridge the gap that, according to him, still exists between neuroscience and psychoanalysis, namely, between the study of the brain and the study of the mind that references the “hard problem” as proposed by David Chalmers. His answer is “The spatiotemporal project for neuropsychoanalysis” which calls forth associations with the “New project” by Mark Solms (2020). In this review, I will try to unpack the meaning of Northoff’s spatiotemporal project and point out the thoughts stimulated by the book.
It is a short book of 154 pages of text. In 7 chapters, Northoff explains his theory in which he proposes to answer the questions of how the brain and the mind are “linked” and how we can understand psychiatric disturbances, such as narcissism, depression, traumatic dissociation and schizophrenia from this perspective. He concludes with suggestions on how to change psychotherapy in the light of his project. All these topics are covered in this synthetic book. The character of an introduction is also evident in the number of references. There are pointers on where to find more explanations and research. I have not yet had the time to delve into all the pathways that opened up, so my understanding is sometimes wanting.
In the first chapter, Northoff connects the brain and mind topographically, that is, his “spatial”