Georg Northoff – författare

From Brain Dynamics to the Mind: Spatiotemporal Neuroscience explores how the self and consciousness is related to neural events. Sections in the book cover existing models used to describe the mind/brain problem, recent research on brain mechanisms and processes and what they tell us about the self, consciousness and psychiatric disorders. The book presents a spatiotemporal approach to understanding the brain and the implications for artificial intelligence, novel therapies for psychiatric disorders, and for ethical, societal and philosophical issues.

Pulling concepts from neuroscience, psychology and philosophy, the book presents a modern and complete look at what we know, what we can surmise, and what we may never know about the distinction between brain and mind.

The connection of the brain to the mind remains one of the most persistent mysteries in philosophy and neuroscience. Georg Northoff proposes a new approach to the so-called mind-body problem, drawing on an insight from physics: time structures all objects and events in the world, and all objects and events are in dynamic relationship. This also shapes the brain as it is part of the dynamic of the world as whole.In Neurowaves Northoff posits that the entire world is structured by waves of time and argues that the passing of these waves through our brains – neurowaves – produces mental experience. The brain’s neural waves transform into mental waves; time and its dynamics are shared by brain and mind as their common currency. As in physics and biology, that radically changes our view. Copernicus showed how the earth moves and that its movements are just a tiny part of the universe’s passage of time. Darwin showed that the human species is one among many species passing through evolution’s timescales. Northoff calls for another Copernican revolution, replacing the mind-body problem with questions about the temporal-dynamic relationship between brain and world.Illustrated with vivid examples from different facets of the physical and biological world, Neurowaves provides captivating insights and an innovative, entertaining unravelling of the temporal connection of brain and mind.

The connection of the brain to the mind remains one of the most persistent mysteries in philosophy and neuroscience. Georg Northoff proposes a new approach to the so-called mind-body problem, drawing on an insight from physics: time structures all objects and events in the world, and all objects and events are in dynamic relationship. This also shapes the brain as it is part of the dynamic of the world as whole.In Neurowaves Northoff posits that the entire world is structured by waves of time and argues that the passing of these waves through our brains – neurowaves – produces mental experience. The brain’s neural waves transform into mental waves; time and its dynamics are shared by brain and mind as their common currency. As in physics and biology, that radically changes our view. Copernicus showed how the earth moves and that its movements are just a tiny part of the universe’s passage of time. Darwin showed that the human species is one among many species passing through evolution’s timescales. Northoff calls for another Copernican revolution, replacing the mind-body problem with questions about the temporal-dynamic relationship between brain and world.Illustrated with vivid examples from different facets of the physical and biological world, Neurowaves provides captivating insights and an innovative, entertaining unravelling of the temporal connection of brain and mind.

An argument for a Copernican revolution in our consideration of mental features—a shift in which the world-brain problem supersedes the mind-body problem.

Philosophers have long debated the mind-body problem—whether to attribute such mental features as consciousness to mind or to body. Meanwhile, neuroscientists search for empirical answers, seeking neural correlates for consciousness, self, and free will. In this book, Georg Northoff does not propose new solutions to the mind-body problem; instead, he questions the problem itself, arguing that it is an empirically, ontologically, and conceptually implausible way to address the existence and reality of mental features. We are better off, he contends, by addressing consciousness and other mental features in terms of the relationship between world and brain; philosophers should consider the world-brain problem rather than the mind-body problem. This calls for a Copernican shift in vantage point—from within the mind or brain to beyond the brain—in our consideration of mental features.

Northoff, a neuroscientist, psychiatrist, and philosopher, explains that empirical evidence suggests that the brain''s spontaneous activity and its spatiotemporal structure are central to aligning and integrating the brain within the world. This spatiotemporal structure allows the brain to extend beyond itself into body and world, creating the “world-brain relation” that is central to mental features. Northoff makes his argument in empirical, ontological, and epistemic-methodological terms. He discusses current models of the brain and applies these models to recent data on neuronal features underlying consciousness and proposes the world-brain relation as the ontological predisposition for consciousness.

The Dynamic Self in Psychoanalysis builds a bridge between two different but intertwined disciplines—psychoanalysis and neuroscience—by examining the Self and its dynamics at the psychological and neuronal level.

Rosa Spagnolo and Georg Northoff seek continuity in the relationship between psychoanalysis and neuroscience, emphasizing how both inform psychotherapy and psychoanalytic treatment and exploring the transformations of the Self that occur during this work. Each chapter presents clinical examples which demonstrate the evolution of the spatiotemporal and affective dimensions of the Self in a variety of psychopathologies. Spagnolo and Northoff analyze the possible use of new neuroscientific findings to improve clinical treatment in psychodynamic therapy and present a spatio-temporal approach that has significant implications for the practice of psychotherapy and for future research.

The Dynamic Self in Psychoanalysis will be of great interest to psychoanalysts, psychotherapists, neuroscientists and neuropsychiatrists.

The Dynamic Self in Psychoanalysis builds a bridge between two different but intertwined disciplines—psychoanalysis and neuroscience—by examining the Self and its dynamics at the psychological and neuronal level.

Rosa Spagnolo and Georg Northoff seek continuity in the relationship between psychoanalysis and neuroscience, emphasizing how both inform psychotherapy and psychoanalytic treatment and exploring the transformations of the Self that occur during this work. Each chapter presents clinical examples which demonstrate the evolution of the spatiotemporal and affective dimensions of the Self in a variety of psychopathologies. Spagnolo and Northoff analyze the possible use of new neuroscientific findings to improve clinical treatment in psychodynamic therapy and present a spatio-temporal approach that has significant implications for the practice of psychotherapy and for future research.

The Dynamic Self in Psychoanalysis will be of great interest to psychoanalysts, psychotherapists, neuroscientists and neuropsychiatrists.

Georg Northoff presents the first introduction to neuropsychoanalysis and the search for a brain-based understanding and explanation of our psyche and its psychodynamic features.

This book covers the key features of psychodynamics, including the concepts of self, narcissism, defence mechanisms, unconsciousness/consciousness, attachment and trauma, energy/cathexis, and depression/schizophrenia. After reviewing past and current state-of-the-art models and their limitations, Northoff uniquely links these psychodynamic features to temporal and spatial features in the brain (and body). The key element in connecting brain and mind is dynamic, the pattern of change over time: from brain dynamic to psychodynamic - dynamic is thus shared by brain and psyche as their "common currency". This spatiotemporal approach offers novel and sometimes surprising insights into the elusive connection of brain and mind. Ultimately, this carries important clinico-therapeutic implications for psychodynamic psychotherapy in a spatiotemporal sense, such as through spatiotemporal psychotherapy.

This accessible volume will be of great interest to neuroscientists, neuropsychoanalysts, psychologists, psychoanalysts, and anyone interested in the brain-mind connection. Additional material for the present book including figures and tables as well as short talks about each chapter can be found on this website (www.georgnorthoff.com) including the author’s YouTube channel.

Georg Northoff presents the first introduction to neuropsychoanalysis and the search for a brain-based understanding and explanation of our psyche and its psychodynamic features.

This book covers the key features of psychodynamics, including the concepts of self, narcissism, defence mechanisms, unconsciousness/consciousness, attachment and trauma, energy/cathexis, and depression/schizophrenia. After reviewing past and current state-of-the-art models and their limitations, Northoff uniquely links these psychodynamic features to temporal and spatial features in the brain (and body). The key element in connecting brain and mind is dynamic, the pattern of change over time: from brain dynamic to psychodynamic - dynamic is thus shared by brain and psyche as their "common currency". This spatiotemporal approach offers novel and sometimes surprising insights into the elusive connection of brain and mind. Ultimately, this carries important clinico-therapeutic implications for psychodynamic psychotherapy in a spatiotemporal sense, such as through spatiotemporal psychotherapy.

This accessible volume will be of great interest to neuroscientists, neuropsychoanalysts, psychologists, psychoanalysts, and anyone interested in the brain-mind connection. Additional material for the present book including figures and tables as well as short talks about each chapter can be found on this website (www.georgnorthoff.com) including the author’s YouTube channel.