Why I Love Science

Science is a wonderful thing! It took me a long time to realize that. I spent the first half of my life  in the Christian theological circle. I went to seminary and got a Masters of Divinity degree followed by a Doctor of Ministry degree. From the seminary I became an associate pastor and then a pastor.  While serving in Ministry I studied the progressive theologians, including the Process Theologians.  Moving to the edge of the theological circle,  I became  a panentheist ( see Charles Hartshorne).   From there I  began to explore the philosophical circle-- especially Existentialist and Process Philosophy.  Then, around  the age of 40, I began to embrace the  scientific circle, which   eventually led me to embrace pantheism (see Spinoza and Einstein).             

Once I moved into the science circle, I realized that my first exposure  to the sciences had actually begun in college-- these were the social sciences of sociology, psychology, political science, and cultural anthropology . But it was much later that I began to study the  natural sciences, ie psychoanalysis ( some disagree it is a natural science but I am of the camp that believes it is), neuroscience , biology, biological anthropology, paleoanthropology, earth science and astronomy. (Physics is my latest challenge, but so far I find it the most difficult to understand!)

Fully embracing science has taught me so much about human nature, including my own, and the nature of the universe And the good news is that what I have learned is based in evidence. That is what I like the most about science as a source of truth. It is not based in Revelation like religion. Nor  is it  based only in rational reason and logic as is philosophy.  Science is based in evidence, in facts proven by the scientific method.  A great example of scientific fact finding is the called " Theory"  of Evolution In Darwin's Day, Evolution was a theory. Now it has become a fact. As Richard Dawkins says, "Evolution is a fact, and the evidence for it is as strong as anything we have in science." And Stephen Gould wrote," Evolution is a fact. And the theory of natural selection is one of several mechanisms that explain the fact of evolution." Finally, Carl Sagan said," Evolution is a fact, not a theory.... and the fossil record and the molecular biology all confirm it."

What I also love about science is that  science is not a fixed set of beliefs that are accepted as immutable Truth. Science, even more than philosophy, which is based in reason and logic, is based in observation, hypothesis, experiment and confirmation. And as such its findings are trustworthy because they are based in evidence.

The other beauty of science is it is always open to change and alteration. If a better scientific theory comes along and can be shown to be superior to an established one, the new theory wins. Moving from the Flat Earth Theory to the Round Earth Fact was one example of just such a scientific shift. Christopher Columbus experimented with the theory that the earth was round rather than flat. And, by getting in a boat and sailing to what he thought was India (actually the Americas), he proved his theory correct! His theory, through scientific evidence, became a fact. No one today doubts the earth is round.

To me, this makes science the best source of knowledge we have for discovering truth. That is because in science " facts reign supreme" ( Brenner). And the scientific method is the best tool we have to establish what the facts truly are, because it is based in evidence and proof.

I could go on about why I truly love science, but I think my point has been made. I will simply conclude by saying, science has been a continuous source of trustworthy knowledge for me for the last 36 years. And I look forward to what truth, based on evidence, it will teach me in the future!

My "Introductory Lectures on Neuropsychoanalysis/Psychotherapy and Where to Find Them

My "Introductory Lectures on Neuropsychoanalysis/Psychotherapy"( eight total), published here on my Blog at calanmeltonw.blogspot.com, are NOT all in numerical order.....That is because I wrote them at different times over the last few years. But, they are ALL titled and numbered, so if you scroll around you can FIND all Eight Lectures..... The Lectures begin with the Preface on "Why Psychoanalysis Must be Grounded in Biology", and end with " A Neuropsychoanalysis/Psychotherapy Written Case Presentation Outline". You may wish to print  the lectures out and place them in order.

To Learn More about Neuropsychoanalysis/Psychotherapy, email me directly at calanmeltonw@gmail.com, to learn about my Book/Training Manual that DOES group these Lectures into the following order:

Introduction....Preface.....Chapter 1 "How the Patient's Mind Functions".......Chapter 2 "How the Patient's Mind Develops"...... Chapter 3 "How to Treat the Patient's Mind"....Case Presentation Outline..... Conclusion....... Selected Bibliography.

I would be happy to meet on Zoom for consultation and reading through of my Book/Training Manual together. Such consultation will introduce you to both the theory and practice of neuropsychoanalysis/psychotherapy. I am pleased to offer such consultation as a Clinical Fellow of the International Neuropsychoanalysis Society.

We Evolved from the Stuff of Squirrels

Do you realize we evolved from the " stuff of squirrels?"  We modern human animals are mammals. We are vertebrates. We are primates. Do you know the story of how we got here? How we homo sapiens evolved? It is pretty interesting. It all goes back to the day a huge meteor struck the earth creating the greatest dust storm to ever exist. That was 66 million years ago.

It was the age of the dinosaurs. Mammals also existed at that time but they were tiny shrew like creatures, not unlike our modern squirrels. The dust storm caused by the meteor ( which struck the edge of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico ( where I visited a few years back ), killed off the dinosaurs! Matter of fact it killed off most all the animals that could not hide in the ground and escape the dust. And that is why the little shrew like mammals were able to survive. They were small enough to hide underground. Do you know who evolved after these tiny shrew like mammals? The Monkeys. Do you know who evolved after the monkeys? The Great Apes. Do you know who the great apes are? Chimpanzies, bonomos, orangutans, gorillas and humans. ( We share 98% DNA with the chimps.)

I visited the Wits University Fossil Valult in Johannesburg South Africa in 2015. There I saw the famous fossil named the Taung Child. It was found in 1925 by Raymond Dart. It is the skull of a young ape like, bipedal, australopithecus africanus--a 3 million year old prehuman. We modern humans are in their evolutionary line. The next group evolving from these creatures was homo habilis, around 2.5 million years ago. They were known as the Tool Makers. Then about 300,000 years ago ( all in Africa by the way ), anatomical modern humans evolved. And by 150,000 years ago we came on the evolutionary scene--homo sapiens/modern humans. Forty thousand years ago we homo sapiens ( called Cromagnons in Europe) began to paint on cave walls, and 12,000 years ago we created Civilization.

So here we are today in 2023, modern humans/mammals who evolved from those tiny shrew like mammals who survived the dust storm of the Yucatan Meteor. We are made of the same stuff as they are. It is truly amazing! Those creatures in our back yard who love to eat our birdfood are our distant ancestors.

But get this! If that giant meteor had ventured slightly off course and had struck the earth in the open ocean, the catastrophic impact to planet earth would not have been  as great. The dinosaurs may have then survived. And if they had survived the small mammals who escaped from them in holes in the ground, would have not evolved into larger mammals. Do you know what that would have meant? Those small mammals would have not evolved into monkeys, nor the great apes--of  which we are one. Therefore, we modern humans would have not come into being! We would not have existed. We would not have  evolved.  Wow! So you see it was by chance that we evolved from those little shrew like creatures who survived the meteor blast and the resultant extinction of the dinosaurs. And by that unbelievable chance occurrence ( and many others) we homo sapiens/modern humans evolved from the  very "stuff of squirrels!" Pretty amazing.....

Neuropsychoanalytic Diagnosis ( Part 5 )

This  unpleasant feeling ( in your case grief/depression) results from a  faulty, unconscious, repressed, childhood predictions (ego compromises/solutions) that failed to adequately resolve your  childhood conflict/trauma. Your depressive feeling may require defenses to ward off the bad  feeling.                                               

Your neuropsychoanalytic diagnosis includes assessing the three levels of defenses that are utilized in the three levels of disorders:  Neurotic defenses, narcissistic/borderline defenses,  and psychotic defenses. The higher level neurotic defenses are more likely to succeed in defending against the unpleasant feeling than are the  narcissistic/borderline ones. And the narcissistic/borderline defenses are more successful at defending against the bad feeling than are the psychotic ones.

When any of the above defenses fail, you experience the "return of the repressed" in the form of the troubled  feeling returning to consciousness. It was likely this troublesome feeling that brought you to treatment. This  feeling/symptom  will be listed in the various descriptive  diagnoses of  the DSM, including your major depression diagnosis. 

But since this unpleasant feeling/symptom is the result of an unmet basic emotional need/drive (id), which results  from the faulty, unconscious, repressed, childhood predictions ( ego) mentioned above, it is the assessment  of this faulty prediction that is the key difference in neuropsychoanalytic diagnosis and DSM diagnosis. The reason being is that it because of this faulty  prediction that you  cannot successfully  meet  your basic emotional need/drive. And the  inability to meet your  basic emotional need/drive  is what is causing your suffering/psychopathology/mental illness.    

So, assessing your unconscious, repressed, faulty prediction that is failing to meet your basic emotional need, and thus resulting  in your unpleasant feeling that is not sufficiently defended against, goes beyond DSM descriptive diagnosis of your feeling/symptom to its underlying cause.                                    

Neuropsychoanalysis believes that the faulty prediction is the underlying problem. It is the cause of your  mental illness. Once it is properly diagnosed, you can proceed in treatment to change it to a workable prediction. This neuropsychoanalytic treatment will lead to your cure. 

Neuropsychoanalytic Diagnosis ( Part 4 )

 As your therapist, when I begin to wonder with you about your neuropsychoanalytic diagnosis,  I look beneath your unpleasant  feeling/symptom to what is causing it. Neuropsychoanalysis believes your unpleasant feeling is caused by the failure to meet a  basic emotional need. In your case of major depression it may  be your attachment need ( PANIC/GRIEF) that is not being met. And the  failure to meet this need  is a result of your faulty, childhood,  repressed unconscious prediction.  To assess this faulty prediction we begin to look at  your transference patterns--both with me as your therapist and your significant others. These transference patterns in the present lead  to inferences  about your early childhood experiences, and how those experiences have resulted  in the faulty prediction that is not working to  sufficiently meet your PANIC/GRIEF need.....(Or any other of the seven basic emotional needs. You will recall from previous posts these seven needs/drives are: FEAR, PANIC/GRIEF, CARE, RAGE, LUST, PLAY and SEEKING).     

                                         

1David Moore

Neuropsychoanalytic Diagnosis (Part 3 )

Given your DSM symptom based diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder, your Psychiatrist may decide which antidepressant medication would be best for reducing your painful symptoms, and will prescribe that medication for you. They will hopefully also refer you to me for neuropsychoanalytic psychotherapy. ( Your psychiatrist is also a mental health professional and may offer you psychotherapy and/or medication.) So let's say your Psychiatrist prescribes you the anti depressant drug Lexapro and refers you to me for neuropsychoanalytic psychotherapy. When you come to see me for your first session I will also learn about what unpleasant feeling you are suffering from, and I too will conclude that you are suffering from Major Depressive Disorder. But neuropsychoanalytic diagnosis goes beyond the descriptive diagnosis of the DSM to assess the underlying cause of your unpleasant feeling/symptom. This is the key difference in the two types of diagnosis!

1Natalie Melton

Neuropsychoanalytic Diagnosis ( Part 2 )

The DSM (Diagnostic snd Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) is the official manual of mental health disorders used by all mental health professionals to diagnose their patients. Your psychiatrist also uses this manual to diagnose your mental disorder. This manual, like the manual for physical illnesses, is based in an assessment of your symptoms. If you come to me or your psychiatrist, we are going to ask you about your symptoms. " What hurts? In what way does it hurt? How long have you been hurting?  What unpleasant feeling are you suffering from? "Let's say you answer the questions this way: " I am having trouble sleeping. I have lost weight. I have been crying a lot. I feel sad. I do not want to do anything. I have lost pleasure in everything. I have no joy. I feel worthless and I sometimes feel that the world would be a better place without me. I have seriously thought of suicide." Your psychiatrist  and I will both know that these are the symptoms of depression and we will diagnose you with a depressive disorder. We will then choose the depressive disorder found in in the DSM  that best describes your symptoms. In this case we would diagnose you with Major Depressive Disorder. ( More to come. )

2Bill Huffman and David Moore