Mental health lies at the heart of our inner life: emotions, stress, resilience, psychological vulnerability, but also our capacity to adapt and grow. This section explores the psychological mechanisms and scientific insights that shed light on mental balance and the challenges of the modern mind.
Between soul, unconscious, and cognition, psychology’s core concepts are rooted in centuries of philosophical thought. Has this dialogue ever truly ended? Know thyself Etched into the temple of Delphi, this ancient maxim has echoed through the centuries, a timeless riddle posed to humanity. Who are we? Where do our thoughts, desires, and emotions come from?…
Confronting hysteria, Charcot rejects the idea of simulation. He reveals a different path—one where brain function alone can produce invisible disorders. On a December morning in 1885, the lecture hall of the Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris is packed to the brim. In the front rows: physicians from Berlin, Vienna, and London. Beside them sit writers,…
Freud defined the return of the repressed as the disguised resurgence of unconscious content into consciousness, material typically incompatible with the ego. It would emerge through slips of the tongue, dreams, neurotic symptoms, or failed actions. That mechanism still persists, but its stage has shifted. Today, it plays out across social media, through memes, hashtags,…
For decades, neuroscience has maintained a clear distinction between two categories of brain disorders. On one side are neurodevelopmental disorders, which emerge early in life and reflect disruptions in brain maturation. On the other are neurodegenerative diseases, typically associated with aging and characterized by the progressive breakdown of specific neural structures. This division has long…
Psychomotricity is a unique discipline that interweaves the body, thought, emotions, and interpersonal relationships. Positioned at the intersection of medical sciences, the humanities, and education, it thrives in a fertile in-between space: that of the psychological and the physical, the objective and the subjective. This article offers a comprehensive reexamination of the history of psychomotricity…
Crises, trance, suggestion… Mesmer’s experiments revealed phenomena science could not yet explain. An early sketch of the unconscious? We like to believe that our emotions, thoughts, and behaviors stem from rational and observable mechanisms. But what happens when invisible forces, hidden from conscious awareness, prove to be the true architects of our well-being? In the…
We’ve all experienced it, leaving a room feeling inexplicably lighter, simply because the atmosphere was cheerful. Or conversely, entering a space where something felt off, an invisible tension lingering in the air, and suddenly feeling uneasy without knowing why. What others feel, in a strange and almost magical way, ends up affecting us. But why…
The elevator comes to a halt between two floors. Within seconds, breathing quickens, the heart races at 150 beats per minute, and the metal walls seem to close in. For some, this might be a passing inconvenience. For others, it’s a nightmare. Claustrophobia, a specific phobia, transforms enclosed spaces into an unbearable threat. This condition,…
Fear is a signal, a primordial alarm etched into the depths of our biological history. As old as humanity itself, it is our safeguard in the face of danger. When a threat arises, our body springs into action: hidden energy reserves are unleashed, ready to propel us forward. In a split second, fear sharpens our…
In Madness and Civilization, Foucault does not simply describe mental illness, he shows how societies construct the boundaries between normality and deviance. Madness and Civilization, first published in 1961, is one of Michel Foucault’s foundational works. Widely regarded as a pioneering study in the history of thought and social philosophy, this book examines how the…