This book is a study of the simultaneous physiological recordings and psychoanalytic observations when emotional/psychological responses to external stimuli occur pari passu with observed physiological changes. It is the culmination of my psychiatric and psychoanalytic work with patients over fifty years, and is based on the simple premise that physiological measurements cannot describe the mind and the mind cannot describe physiological processes. In order for us to have a significant knowledge of the object, we need both, and I argue that medical specialists and health professionals (doctors, nurses, psychoanalysts, psychotherapists, psychiatrists, etc.) need to be trained to adopt a Complementary approach to patients. Without a Complementary approach, patients are neglected. The complex relationship between mind and body offers vital clues to the individual’s condition, and only by considering patients both physically and mentally can doctors and psychoanalysts make precise and competent judgements. |
