ABSTRACT
This chapter describes what neuropsychoanalysis is— in terms of its historical foundations, philosophical premises, and empirical underpinnings. It addresses the question “what is neuropsychoanalysis?” under four headings: the historical foundations of neuropsychoanalysis, its philosophical foundations, its scientific foundations, and lastly what neuropsychoanalysis is not. The aim of psychoanalysis then became to develop a method and ultimately to derive from that method a theory, that would enable science to explore and understand the dynamic nature and unconscious structure of the mind. Sigmund Freud’s programme was to map the structure and functions of the human mind, and naturally he recognized that these were intimately related to the structure and functions of the human brain. However, as regards the mapping of these relationships, he consistently argued that the brain sciences of his time did not have the tools, in both conceptual and technical terms, necessary for exploring these relationships.
