Problems in Silverman's work indicate the need for a new approach to research on subliminal psychodynamic activation

Alpha synchronization as a brain model for unconscious defense: An overview of the work of Howard Shevrin and his team

Howard Shevrin and his team have developed a stringent subliminal priming methodology, which experimentally approximates a situation of an internal, mental triggering of unconscious defense. Through a series of four studies they thus are able to bring evidence for this type of unconscious defense. With event-related potentials, three clinical studies show how synchronization of a specific brain wave, the alpha wave, known for its inhibitory function, is also induced by subliminally presented conflictual subject-specific stimuli. Therefore, alpha synchronization could serve as the brain mechanism of unconscious defense. The results only make sense if we suppose the existence of a dynamic unconscious, which has inherited childhood conflicts, and with privileged connections to neurotic symptom characteristics. Moreover, by showing that the unconscious conflict phrases, inferred by clinicians from clinical interviews, have a similar brain behavior, Shevrin and his team provide evidence that these inferences are not simply clinician-dependent subjective interpretations but also imply some form of independent mental reality. Finally, interpretation of the results has led us to propose two distinct physiological mechanisms for defense: one, unconscious defense, by alpha synchronization in connection with the drive derivatives, and another, repression, based on the indications of reality in connection with the ego.

Does Repression Exist? Memory, Pathogenic, Unconscious and Clinical Evidence

The current dispute regarding the existence of repression has mainly focused on whether people remember or forget trauma. Repression, however, is a multidimensional construct, which, in addition to the memory aspect, consists of pathogenic effects on adjustment and the unconscious. Accordingly, in order to arrive at a more accurate decision regarding the existence of repression, studies relevant to all three areas are reviewed. Moreover, since psychoanalysis regards repression as a key factor in accounting for the development and treatment of neurotic disorders, relevant research from these two domains are also taken into account. This comprehensive evaluation reveals little empirical justification for maintaining the psychoanalytic concept of repression.

Critique of Sohlberg and Birgegard's (2003) report of persistent complex effects of subliminal psychodynamic activation messages

Silverman in 1983 held that the unconscious encoding of MOMMY AND I ARE ONE triggers a fantasy of symbiotic union with the good mother of early childhood. In contrast, later Sohlberg and Birgegard contended that MOMMY AND I triggers associations to similarity issues with mother, associations that may be influenced by the words following MOMMY AND I. Although their messages produce, lmost invariably, no reportable sensation, Sohlberg and Birgegard claimed strong evidence for the influence of such messages on perception, motivation, and memory, 10 ays poststimulation and suggestive evidence 4 mo. later. Their findings are not compelling evidence for these claims; and there is no evidence that any result was associated with the unconscious encoding of the psychodynamic meaning of a multiword message.

Relationship between the presentation of the MOMMY AND I ARE ONE stimulus and mood

In 1992 Weinberger suggested the effects of the presentation of MOMMY AND I ARE ONE might be mediated by its capacity to produce positive mood changes. Later support for this idea is unconvincing because these experiments lack the converging operations required to support the assumption that participants can encode the complete meaning of MOMMY AND I ARE ONE. Furthermore, without justification, they bypassed several variables of importance in prior research. Wide acceptance of findings in this area requires convincing evidence that participants can encode much more information from MOMMY AND I ARE ONE than from other types of subliminal stimuli and from supraliminal stimuli presented briefly. Until such evidence is available. attempts to explore individual differences in neurophysiological responses to MOMMY AND I ARE ONE, after it has been assumed to be encoded, are premature.