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Solms examines the mind–body problem, particularly the hard problem of consciousness, from two perspectives that appear contrasting at first glance. The first is the classic mind–body problem: how subjective experiences (i.e. qualia, consciousness) emerge from biological systems. The second, which reverses the classic problem, explores how the psyche influences the body – particularly in cases of hysteria (conversion or functional neurological disorders), where, as Solms states, “something mental can become something physical” (p. 3) implying the transformation from the psyche to the body.
Solms discusses two metaphors/analogies that shed light on the first aspect of the problem, both of which are drawn from Freud.
The first, Freud’s poem-alphabet metaphor, captures the idea that sensory and motor inputs are not simply copied into the brain in a fixed manner. Instead, they are transformed, restructured, and imbued with meaning – just as letters are arranged into words, sentences, and, ultimately, poetry. In a poem, the alphabet is not simply listed in order; rather, its elements are woven into a complex structure that conveys emotion, meaning, and intention. This metaphor highlights the creative, constructive nature of brain function: just as a poem gives new meaning to individual letters through their arrangement and interaction, the brain organises raw neural inputs into meaningful experiences, thoughts, and actions.
The second metaphor is the telescope-microscope analogy. Freud uses this analogy to describe the structure and function of the mind. He compares the mental apparatus to optical instruments that process images through multiple intermediate stages before producing a final image. Just as a telescope or microscope does not contain the image itself within its physical components but instead creates it through a sequence of lenses and adjustments, the mind is structured as a system where psychical processes occur at different functional levels rather than bein