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) and Professor Gareth Owen (Professor of Psychological Medicine, Ethics and Law), offering an opportunity to reflect further on the intersection between psychoanalysis and neuroscience.