Entropy, Free Energy, and Symbolization: Free Association at the Intersection of Psychoanalysis and Neuroscience

Abstract

Both a method of therapy and an exploration of psychic reality, free association is a fundamental element of psychoanalytical practices that refers to the way a patient is asked to describe what comes spontaneously to mind in the therapeutic setting. This paper examines the role of free association from the point of view of psychoanalysis and neuroscience in order to improve our understanding of therapeutic effects induced by psychoanalytic therapies and psychoanalysis. In this regard, we first propose a global overview of the historical origins of the concept of free association in psychoanalysis and examine how Freud established its principles. Then, from Freud's distinction between primary and secondary processes, we proceed to compare the psychoanalytic model with research originating from cognitive psychology and neuroscience. The notions of entropy and free energy appear particularly relevant at the intersection of these different domains. Finally, we propose the notion of symbolizing transmodality to describe certain specificities of symbolization processes within free association and we summarize the main functions of free association in psychoanalytic practices.

Novel Treatment Approaches for Substance Use Disorders: Therapeutic Use of Psychedelics and the Role of Psychotherapy

“…The structural similarities between dreaming and psychedelic experience suggest that the images, emotions, and thoughts arising in the psychedelic state can be of therapeutic value for the further course of therapy in a manner similar to dreams and free associations in regular psychodynamic treatment. This theory is supported by work in the field of neuropsychoanalysis demonstrating the compatibility of psychodynamic concepts and the entropic brain theory and predictive processing [72,73].…”

Sign-symbolic system in the era of digital change

“…Rabeyron, C. Massicotte believe that exists between the purely biological level and the subjective experience an ontic chiasm which specifies the differences between the processes of conscious psychic functioning. A Markov blanket operates as a space of delimitation and communication between these two levels in the sense that this blanket forms an organizational boundary which allows for the emergence of the subjective experience [5]. This idea is framed in Figure 1.…”

“…Symbolization is the process of creating (at the level of public consciousness) and mastering (at the level of individual consciousness) concepts-symbols that concentrate in a generalized form the significance of their specific properties as "super-important" or "super-real" [1]. The symbolization process is actively studied in psychological science [2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10].…”

A Multilevel Approach to Explore the Wandering Mind and Its Connections with Mindfulness and Personality

“…MW was also investigated through a new experimental approach, based on the free association method already used by Freud [ 34 , 37 ]. During the task, participants were invited to verbalize all their thoughts without attempting to control the contents of their conscious mind; the subsequent analysis of speech could help to identify possible underlying conscious/unconscious schemes of thoughts (see Supplementary Materials for details on the linguistic analysis).…”

“…Similar protocols, like thinkingoutloud, were used in research to study cognitive processes such as problem solving [ 35 ]. More recently, this method has been re-proposed in the neuroscientific field to examine the description of the emotional states of individuals in situations of stress and psychodynamic conflict [ 36 , 37 ]. In the task proposed here, participants were asked to verbalize their mental thoughts while letting their mind wander spontaneously, reporting the content of their conscious experience moment by moment.…”