Encounters with Psychoanalysis: The Only Cure
Schedule
Wed Jul 15 2026 at 05:30 pm to 07:00 pm
UTC+01:00Location
IOPPN | London, EN
About this Event
Encounters with Psychoanalysis: The Only Cure
Join us at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN), King’s College London, for the inaugural event in the Encounters with Psychoanalysis lecture series—an initiative designed to foster dialogue between psychoanalysis and contemporary interdisciplinary research.
About the speaker
Professor Mark Solms is a globally renowned psychoanalyst and neuropsychologist, widely recognised for his pioneering work integrating contemporary neuroscience with psychoanalytic theory and clinical practice. He is best known for his discovery of the forebrain mechanisms of dreaming.
He is Director of Neuropsychology at the University of Cape Town and Groote Schuur Hospital, Science Director of the American Psychoanalytic Association, and Co-Chair of the International Neuropsychoanalysis Society.
Lecture overview
Psychoanalytic therapy was once widely dismissed as unscientific. Today, however, it is increasingly recognised as a highly effective form of treatment, with evidence suggesting enduring therapeutic benefits that extend well beyond symptom reduction.
What accounts for this effectiveness?
In this lecture, Professor Solms revisits one of the most enduring and controversial propositions in psychology: that our deepest psychological difficulties arise not primarily from chemical imbalances, but from unconscious conflicts and unresolved emotional experiences.
Drawing on compelling clinical case studies and cutting-edge developments in neuroscience, he will explore how contemporary science is beginning to corroborate key aspects of Freud’s original insights—and argue for the renewed relevance of psychoanalysis as a foundational theory of the mind.
The lecture will be followed by a Q&A session with Professor Cynthia Fu (Professor of Affective Neuroscience and Psychotherapy, IoPPN), offering an opportunity to reflect further on the intersection between psychoanalysis and neuroscience.
The event will be held at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience. Room TBC nearer the time.
Where is it happening?
IOPPN, 16 De Crespigny Park, London, United KingdomEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
GBP 0.00
