Freud’s Instinctual Legacy | A Scientific Redemption

Freud’s instinctual legacy shines in 2025 as Affective Neuroscience proves emotions like SEEKING and PANIC/GRIEF drive us before cognition. Consciousness is an instinctual bottom-up process, while CBT and DBT's top-down process falter, risking harm. Integrative Self-Analysis' (ISA) concept of The Instinctual Consciousness, not the Dominant Ego Personality, is key—validated by Panksepp’s subcortical findings.

Freud’s Instinctual Legacy: A Scientific Redemption

Sigmund Freud’s foundational theories on human instincts have undergone a remarkable renaissance, bolstered by contemporary neuroscience and innovative psychological frameworks. Unlike the German term Instinkt, which implies static reflexes, Freud’s nuanced concept—hinting at a dynamic force—underscored emotions as precursors to cognition. This article argues that Affective Neuroscience and Integrative Self-Analysis (ISA) validate Freud’s instinctual framework, while Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and its derivative, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), falter under scrutiny, potentially exacerbating psychological harm (iatrogenic).

Neuroscience Confirms Freud’s Emotional Core

“Biology is truly a land of unlimited possibilities. We may expect it to give us the most surprising information, and we cannot guess what answers it will return in a few dozen years.” —Sigmund Fried, 1920

Freud (1920/1961) prophesied that biology would eventually illuminate the underpinnings of human behavior, writing, “Biology is truly a land of unlimited possibilities” (p. 60). His foresight is realized in Affective Neuroscience, particularly through Jaak Panksepp’s (1998) identification of seven Primary Process Emotions—SEEKING, FEAR, RAGE, LUST, CARE, PANIC/GRIEF, and PLAY—rooted in the brain’s subcortical regions. These systems, firing before cortical processing, affirm emotions as the psychogenic foundation of thought (Panksepp, J, 1998) (LeDoux, J. E, 1996) (Damasio, A. R, 1994) (Panksepp, J, & Biven, L, 2012) (LeDoux, J. E, 2000) (Pessoa, L, 2008) (Davidson, R. J, & Irwin, W, 1999) (Öhman, A, & Mineka, S, 2001) (Berridge, K. C, & Kringelbach, M. L, 2015) (Solms, M, & Turnbull, O, 2002). Consider a patient, Anna, whose childhood neglect activated PANIC/GRIEF prematurely. Her subsequent anxiety outpaced cognitive awareness, revealing instinctual primacy over the Dominant Ego Personality (DEP)—the mind’s self-reflective, short-term memory-driven interface with reality.

The Instinctual Consciousness Unveiled

To capture Freud’s vision, I propose a new term Instinctual Consciousness—a collapsed superposition of genomic instincts, emotional bandwidth, and long-term memory—distinct from the DEP’s limited scope. My Five Principles of Consciousness outline this dynamic from a “bottom-up” approach:

1. Instincts as core drivers

2. Emotions as their psychogenic language

3. Imagery as their narrative medium

4. The Egoic Verge as their translator into symbols

5. Symbols evolving into thought.

For instance, James, a veteran with combat trauma, experienced vivid flashbacks rooted in FEAR and RAGE. These emotional currents and predictive scripts preceded and shaped his fragmented DEP, aligning with Panksepp’s (1998) findings on emotional primacy (p. 123).

CBT and DBT: A Misguided Legacy?

In contrast, CBT and DBT, anchored in a top-down model, prioritize the DEP as master of itself, sidelining Instinctual Consciousness as purely a reactive, animalistic instinct. This is evident in my theory of the Five Inversions of Consciousness framework, where cognition directs instincts. This error may yield iatrogenic effects. Take Sarah, a client undergoing CBT for depression. Cognitive reframing aimed to alter her negative thoughts, yet her underlying PANIC/GRIEF, tied to early loss, persisted, resurfacing as intensified despair. Research suggests such approaches risk entrenching trauma by masking emotional roots (Herman, 1997, p. 134). DBT’s behavioral conditioning similarly failed Mark, whose RAGE from chronic stress was subdued rather than resolved, amplifying his susceptibility to psychic distress and gaslighting by others.

Emotional Primacy in Action

Panksepp’s (1998) capitalized spelling of emotions denote precise, teleological systems—such as SEEKING driving exploration, CARE fostering bonds—outpacing the DEP’s reactive cognition. In ISA, I’ve observed this firsthand: A person surviving abuse, exhibited repetition compulsion, reenacting trauma via FEAR-driven prediction errors. Her Instinctual Consciousness, recalling suppressed memories, sought resolution, not mere suppression. This bottom-up flow, where emotions precede and inform thought, echoes Freud’s insight that feeling underpins reasoning, a truth CBT and DBT overlook to their detriment. We need to feel better in order to think better (Richards, S., & Richards, P., 2025)

A Call for Paradigm Shift

Freud’s instinctual framework, redeemed by Affective Neuroscience and my Integrative Self-Analysis (ISA), demands a reevaluation of psychology’s foundations. The DEP, when divorced from Instinctual Consciousness, becomes a hollow shell, as seen in cases like Anna and James. CBT and DBT, by pruning emotional roots, risk deepening psychogenic and neurotic rifts rather than healing them. Education, politics, and therapy must pivot to nurture these instinctual currents—acknowledging emotions as thought’s genesis. ISA offers a path forward, integrating long-term memory and emotional wisdom to liberate the DEP from its fruitless isolation, fulfilling Freud’s century-old prophecy.

About the Author

Michael C Walker, a chaplain at Jaguar Marigold Chapel, combines Christian Mysticism, Depth Psychology, Affective Neuroscience, Classical Studies, and Dream Mapping to delve into the human psyche. With 20+ years of experience, he pioneers the fusion of spiritual wisdom and scientific exploration. His innovative approach to Complex Trauma (C-PTSD) provides insights for Self-Analysis, divine purpose, and authenticity.

References

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