Prologue: The Influence of Neuroscience on Psychoanalysts: A Contemporary Perspective

This issue of Psychoanalytic Inquiry provides psychoanalytic clinicians an opportunity to explicate how neuroscientific ideas have influenced their theory and practice. In identifying the applicability of neuroscience, psychoanalysts should consider the following questions: What relevant information has been theorized, identified and studied in neuroscience and how might these findings affect psychoanalytic theories and approaches? To what degree can these findings be integrated with psychoanalytic ideas? Do these findings favor certain psychoanalytic approaches in contrast to others (e.g., efforts to symbolize unrepresented states vs. interpretation of unconscious conflict)? What modifications of psychoanalytic theories and techniques or adjunctive and alternative treatments do neuroscientific findings suggest and across what clinical situations? What psychoanalytic theories and approaches have been indicated to be incorrect by neuroscience? How might psychoanalysis inform neuroscientific theories and research?

AIthough it will not be a focus of this issue, it is also important to consider objections to these efforts, which at times have been vehement (Blass & Carmeli, 2007). These criticisms have focused on the notion that psychoanalysis involves a subjective realm in which neuroscience has no place. In the view of these authors, such efforts actually represent a danger to psychoanalysis, as they distract from psychoanalytic approaches or emphasize theories and interventions that are separate from it. Indeed, there are significant benefits and potential risks deriving from these endeavors.

One core benefit is that consideration of neuroscientific findings (and information from other neighboring disciplines) reduces psychoanalytic isolation and the potential for reductionistic mentalism or excessive certainty about our views. Arrogance about the correctness of psychoanalytic theories and approaches has done significant damage to the profession. Neuroscience, from Fre