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The Gateway to the Brain: Dissecting the Primate Eye
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Eyes Wide Shut: Primary Process Opens Up.

Justine Bruxelmane1, Jonathan Shin1, Giulia Olyff1

  • 1Faculté des Sciences Psychologique et de l'Education, Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium.

Frontiers in Psychology
|March 21, 2020
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Summary

Closing the eyes modestly increases primary process mentation, a type of associative thought. This finding supports Freud's psychoanalytic technique of encouraging patients to close their eyes during therapy.

Keywords:
Freudalphaassociationeyeslanguageprimary process

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Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Psychoanalysis
  • Cognitive Science

Background:

  • Sigmund Freud introduced the practice of patients lying on a couch with eyes closed during psychoanalysis.
  • Closing eyes is hypothesized to facilitate access to unconscious material and primary process thinking.
  • Primary process thinking involves superficial, phonological associations, contrasting with secondary process's focus on meaning.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether closing the eyes influences primary process mentation.
  • To provide empirical support for the psychoanalytic technique of eye closure.

Main Methods:

  • Fifty-two participants completed French word lists designed to create competition between phonological (primary process) and semantic (secondary process) choices.
  • Participants made choices with eyes open and eyes closed to compare mentation modes.
  • Control lists (SN, PN) ensured participants could identify both phonological and semantic similarities.

Main Results:

  • A nearly 10% increase in phonological (primary process) choices was observed when participants closed their eyes in the PS condition.
  • Performance on control lists (SN, PN) remained unchanged, indicating the effect was specific to the PS condition.
  • The results suggest a modest but significant increase in primary process mentation associated with eye closure.

Conclusions:

  • The simple act of closing one's eyes can modestly enhance primary process thinking.
  • This finding offers empirical validation for the psychoanalytic tradition of encouraging eye closure during sessions.
  • Eye closure may promote an inward mental shift, potentially linked to increased alpha synchronization.