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Cited by 34Psychoanalysis and Psychopathology ResearchPsychology and Mental HealthPsychotherapy Techniques and Applications

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

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Rabeyron, Thomas, Massicotte, Claudie·2020·Frontiers in Psychology
DOI 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00366PMC PMC7093713
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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.

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  • In the integration phase, patients report to nondirective therapists all thoughts and perceptions previously arisen without exerting any censorship or giving a conscious direction as if they were free associations, an essential tool of psychoanalytical practices.

    “In the integration phase, patients report to nondirective therapists all thoughts and perceptions previously arisen without exerting any censorship or giving a conscious direction as if they were free associations, an essential tool of psychoanalytical practices. 70”

    From The revival of psilocybin between scientific excitement, evidence of efficacy, and real-world challenges (2024) · cites this paper as [70]

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Authors
Rabeyron, T., & Massicotte, C.
Affiliations
  • InterPsy (FR)
  • Young Harris College (US)
Corresponding author
Rabeyron, Thomas
ORCID
Rabeyron, Thomas
Venue
Frontiers in Psychology
Publisher
Frontiers Media SA
Published
2020-03-17
Volume
11
Pages
366-366
ISSN
1664-1078 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00366
PMC
PMC7093713
OpenAlex
W3011976414
Cited by
34
References
9
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 1
FWCI
2.30
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Frontiers in Psychology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • HAL (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychoanalysis and Psychopathology Research
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychology and Mental Health
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications
Keywords
free association, psychoanalysis, neuroscience, entropy (information theory), free energy, symbolization, primary and secondary processes, Sigmund Freud, cognitive psychology, therapeutic effects, psychic reality

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