The subliminal psychodynamic activation method: A critical review.

Balay, Jennifer; Shevrin, Howard

doi:10.1037/0003-066x.43.3.161

Cited by 57 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 50 publications

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“…The senior author has reviewed the work of psychoanalytically oriented investigators as they bear on dreaming (Shevrin, 1986) and repression (Shevrin, 1990) and concluded that these studies succeeded in overcoming objections made by critics. (For earlier reviews of this literature see Dixon, 1971Dixon, , 1981 In more recent years, within a psychoanalytic frame of reference, the Silverman Subliminal Psychodynamic Activation (SPA) method has generated considerable research (see Balay & Shevrin, 1988, for a critical evaluation of this body of work. )…”

Section: The Role Of Subliminal Perceptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Event-related potential indicators of the dynamic unconscious

Shevrin

Williams

Marshall

et al. 1992

Consciousness and Cognition

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Section: The Role Of Subliminal Perceptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Event-related potential indicators of the dynamic unconscious

Shevrin

Williams

Marshall

et al. 1992

Consciousness and Cognition

Self Cite

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“…First, as the priming uses whole sentences, the control issues are virtually unmanageable (see e.g. Fudin, ; Balay and Shevrin, ). But, even with appropriate control conditions, it remains difficult to prove that the effect is due to the fact that the message is tapping into an unconscious wish or fear, and not merely, for example, into the positive or negative tone of the phrase (see also Fudin, , ).…”

Section: Subliminal Priming Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Bazan

2017

The International Journal of Psychoanalysis

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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.

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“…Using tachistoscope technology, participants were stimulated subliminally with “Mommy and I are one” (MOMMY in the following), a phrase intended to capture the hypothesized symbiotic wish for merger. In spite of the challenges posed by the basic assumptions made by Silverman, and some problems with his interpretation of the data (Balay & Shevrin, 1988; Birgegard & Sohlberg, 1999; Fudin, 1986, 1990; Gustafson & Källmén, 1991; Weinberger, 1986, 1989), he and his co‐workers could observe the predicted positive changes in behavior, and did so more often using “Mommy and I are one” than other similar stimuli (e.g. “Mommy and I are alike”, “Mommy and I are two”, Hardaway, 1990).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Memories of mother, complementarity and shame: Predicting response to subliminal stimulation with “Mommy and I are one”

Sohlberg

Claesson

Birgegård

2003

Scandinavian J Psychology

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A poorly understood finding with potentially wide-ranging implications is that subliminal stimulation with "Mommy and I are one" affects behavior. In this study (n= 62), "Mommy and I are one" lowered implicit mood (p= 0.0015) in comparison with a neutral stimulus ("People are walking"). The effect was most pronounced in shame-prone participants with less positive memories of their mother, and low self-mother complementarity (interaction p= 0.0044). Effects of a potentially shame-inducing stimulus ("I am completely isolated") were not significant (ps > 0.11). The results concerning less positive memories of mother replicate previous findings. We suggest that activation of unconscious associative networks explains the data. Though more research is needed, the cognitive content of these networks may involve representations of self-with-mother; for some, the affective content could involve shame.

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The subliminal psychodynamic activation method: A critical review.

Cited by 57 publications

References 50 publications

Event-related potential indicators of the dynamic unconscious

Event-related potential indicators of the dynamic unconscious

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

Memories of mother, complementarity and shame: Predicting response to subliminal stimulation with “Mommy and I are one”

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