| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| alexis |
Posted - 05/15/2008 : 19:11:36
I commented in the alexithymia thread on Daniel Gilbert's comparison of blindsight to alexithymia (http://www.tmshelp.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=4135). However, it wasn't until I thought about this some more that I realized just how interesting the idea is in a TMS context.
I think a lot of us here have had difficulty with the repressed emotions concept of TMS -- especially the idea of emotions that we can never know. I don't need to accept all of Sarno's ideas to have used what's useful to me out of TMS theory, but still this aspect always gnawed at me a bit.
However, if alexithymia actually does, as Gilbert's book suggests, work by the same mechanism as blind sight, it actually offers an explanation of "unexperienced" emotions -- and evidence, of this occurence.
In blindsight, one's primary visual cortex is damaged. Yet one measurably "sees" even without conscious awareness of the seeing. In alexithymia, so Gilbert claims, studies have found the brain shows the reactions of emotion without the subject consciously "experiencing" it. When shown horrific images, parts of the subjects brain react in the same way as in normal subjects, yet they don't report the same emotions. They seem to be having emotions without realizing it.
So this I'd think of as "blind emotion" or "emotionless emotion" or "subconsious emotion". And other research indicates even normal people have some blindsight like experience -- in taking in subliminal images. "A mind of its own" among other places describes studies in which people remember images they never consciously saw.
So subconscious emotions really fit this pattern, and would seem to make sense even in non-alexithymic people.
What's also interesting is the description in the April/May 2008 Scientific American mind of a study in which blindsighters learned to improve their blindsight. Which would imply, if all this holds true, that even the most alexithymic could improve their use of unconscious emotion.
Anyway, probably not that interesting to those who are already willing to accept the idea of emotions of which we aren't aware. But to those of us who are skeptical of this idea I find this offers an interesting way of looking at it.
Not to say I am convinced that this is the cause of all alexithemia, but even if a partial explanation it's existence offers a useful framework for thinking of the subconscious. |
| 6 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| alexis |
Posted - 05/18/2008 : 07:06:54
quote:
Originally posted by Curiosity18
Alexis,
You might also be interested in checking out Alan Schore's "Affect Dysregulation and Disorders of the Self." In his work he describes alexithymia from a pathological neurodevelopmental perspective, in which the primary caregiver fails to adequately bond with the developing infant, impairing critical brain structures that regulate emotion.
That does sound interesting, if a little worryingly close to the early theories on causes of autism which caused mother's so much undeserved guilt. But that's not a reason to dismiss such a theory (at least as a possible cause of some alexithymia) -- only a reason to be very cautious in how such a theory is researched and followed up. But late and intermittent cases of alexithymia would indicate this is unlikely to explain all cases even if it does hold validity in some cases.
Early developmental causes of some alexithymia would be an interesting example of cases in the middle ground between the classic trait and state types usually presented in the literature (usually represented as an inborn characteristic or a reaction to trauma respectively). In this third "type" of alexithymia, you'd really be looking at a "trait" alexithymia (difficult or impossible to change) that was still not genetic.
But from what I have read when first reading up on alexithymia (see alexithymia thread) it seems the classification and theories are very hotly contested and that there's not yet good evidence that there's a single cause -- or even a clear set of characteristics that define it. But even the investigation of these conflicting theories can shed light on the issues in which we are interested, such as psychosomatic pain and illness (misinterpretation of body signs in alexithymic like states) and subconscious emotion (one part of the brain experiencing emotion, which another does not). |
| alexis |
Posted - 05/18/2008 : 07:03:56
quote:
Originally posted by Curiosity18
Alexis,
You might also be interested in checking out Alan Schore's "Affect Dysregulation and Disorders of the Self." In his work he describes alexithymia from a pathological neurodevelopmental perspective, in which the primary caregiver fails to adequately bond with the developing infant, impairing critical brain structures that regulate emotion.
That does sound interesting, if a little worryingly close to the early theories on causes of autism which caused mother's so much undeserved guilt. But that's not a reason to dismiss such a theory (at least as a possible cause of some alexithymia) -- only a reason to be very cautious in how such a theory is followed up.
Early developmental causes of some alexithymia would be an interesting position in the middle ground between the classic trait and state versions usually presented in the literature (usually represented as an inborn characteristic of a reaction to trauma respectively). In this type of alexithymia, you'd really be looking at a "trait" alexithymia (difficult or impossible to change) that was still not genetic.
But from what I have read when first investigating alexithymia (see other thread) it seems the classification and theories are very hotly contested and that there's not yet good evidence that there's a single cause -- or even a clear set of characteristics that define it. But the light even the investigation and conflicting theories can shed on the issues in which we are interested (psychosomatic pain and illness, subconscious emotion) are fascinating. |
| Curiosity18 |
Posted - 05/17/2008 : 19:23:32
Alexis,
Great articles and interesting perspectives! You might also be interested in checking out Alan Schore's "Affect Dysregulation and Disorders of the Self." In his work he describes alexithymia from a pathological neurodevelopmental perspective, in which the primary caregiver fails to adequately bond with the developing infant, impairing critical brain structures that regulate emotion. The child in an attempt to regulate feelings resorts to dissociation, or numbing out. Alexithymia can then be seen as a more pervasive and primitive attempt to interact with others and the environment. For what it's worth he also believes that repression is a form of dissociation.
Thanks for the links-
Curiosity |
| alexis |
Posted - 05/17/2008 : 15:17:20
Looks like the comparisons been made before. See the title of the second article:
http://books.google.com/books?id=Vh-Oi-k4-qYC&pg=PA13&lpg=PA13&dq=alexithymia+%22shown+pictures%22&source=web&ots=8Qg0S15Sag&sig=V3DVXtXnU1kHKhg4IWPvPVZhEjE&hl=en
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9347133?dopt=Citation
The first one you can read a bit of in the book intro. Just providing these as examples -- not idea even who these authors are. The Delancey presentation doesn't present the alexithymics as quite as unaware as Gilbert. Would love to see the original research...hope to have time to track it down.
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| Wavy Soul |
Posted - 05/17/2008 : 12:22:21
fabulous brilliant point
Love is the answer, whatever the question |
| Littlebird |
Posted - 05/15/2008 : 19:37:24
Alexis, I enjoyed reading this post. Even for someone who accepts the idea of emotions we're not aware of, this explanation will be useful to share with someone who has doubts. As you said, I think it does offer a useful framework for thinking of the subconscious. |
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