On remembering: the notion of memory without recollection

Area of Science:

• Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy
• Psychology of Memory
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Examines the evolution of memory concepts in Freudian psychoanalysis.
• Addresses current debates on the importance of memory in analytic treatment.
• Highlights the insufficiency of contemporary practices in accessing early psychic zones.

Purpose of the Study:

• To extend Freudian theory by introducing new concepts related to memory and psychic functioning.
• To propose a complementary approach to psychoanalytic practice, termed 'transformational psychoanalysis'.
• To advocate for a principle of convergence-coherence governing mental life.

Main Methods:

• Introduces novel theoretical notions: work of figurability, regredience, state of session, negative of trauma, and memory without recollection.
• Develops a personal schema of mental functioning, extending Freud's 1900 schema.
• Details a specific analytic treatment, emphasizing the role of the 'central session'.

Main Results:

• Proposes that analytic practice integrates an archaeological dimension with a transformational approach.
• Argues for the analyst's 'regredience' of thought processes to access pre-represented memory zones.
• Demonstrates the efficacy of this integrated approach through a case study.

Conclusions:

• Transformational psychoanalysis, complementing archeological psychoanalysis, offers a pathway to deeper psychic exploration.
• The principle of convergence-coherence provides a framework for understanding mental life.
• The analyst's active, regredient stance is crucial for accessing and processing early psychic material.