The Only Cure

This is an extraordinary book on so many different levels. It’s a dramatic history of psychoanalysis, a reassessment of Freud, a fascinating and moving autobiography, and a compelling argument for rethinking the place of feelings and subjectivity within the framework of science. And hence it’s also about caring, and nurture - and love. How minds change is the question at the centre of this book. It’s changing mine – BRIAN ENOA scholarly masterpiece that unpacks everything you always wanted to know about Freud (but were afraid to ask). It is written by the world’s greatest living authority on Freud - the Editor of the Revised Standard Edition, and founder of the Neuropsychoanalysis movement. The origin story of Freudian ideas is introduced in forensic and fascinating detail and developed carefully in light of - evidence-based - 21st-century insights into mind and brain. It is also a deeply personal narrative, reflecting the author’s good citizenship, clinical compassion and capacity to critique the fundamentals of psychoanalysis. There is so much to be learned in these pages, ranging from computational neuroscience, through psychopharmacology, to our need to CARE. The closing chapters echo Freud’s conclusion that psychoanalysis is ‘a cure by love’ – KARL J. FRISTON * the world’s most cited neuroscientist *Sigmund Freud invented psychotherapy, a treatment that now has global reach, but why and how does the talking cure work? Mark Solms mingles the poignant, fascinating, sometimes harrowing stories of his psychoanalytic patients, as well as stories from his own life, with scientific research, past and present, which together illuminate Freud’s original insights into the workings of brain and mind. Lucid, confiding, incisive, erudite, and often funny, Solms is the perfect guide for any reader curious about what it means to heal the ailing self – SIRI HUSTVEDTOffers a candidly argued defense of a regrettably overlooked idea: that in dealing with the universe of the human mind, sane and well as sick, a subjective perspective is indispensable. But Solms quietly achieves something no less important: he reminds us that Freud was a biologist and, wonder of wonders, that his ideas are part of the foundation of neuroscience – ANTONIO DAMASIO * author of Descartes’ Error *It’s easy to read, but at the same time, because of the author’s unusual combination of expertise, The Only Cure provides many insights that are unique. The case descriptions are very interesting and engaging. The science behind them is vast. It’s an awesome book - a must-read for anyone involved in or interested in mental health – CRISTINA ALBERINI * Professor of Neuroscience at NYU, who demonstrated how early life experiences affect brain development *Solms shows how Freud’s deepest insights are being vindicated by modern brain science. Bridging neuroscience and psychotherapy, he argues that psychoanalysis remains the only truly curative treatment for many mental disorders. Really an inspiring read – VITTORIO GALLESE * co-discoverer of the mirror neuron *Mark Solms appears to have literally brought Freud back to life in this page turner of a book … Solms uses simple language and fascinating personal and clinical anecdotes to show how psychiatry and psychopharmacology have lost the(ir) mind, tell the history of psychoanalysis, and explain how and why psychoanalysis works. The Only Cure should be a must read for every beginning and senior psychiatrist, psychopharmacologist, neurologist, psychologist, therapist, and psychoanalyst – DANIEL W PREZANT * President of the American Psychoanalytic Association *What begins as a rehabilitation of Freud from the perspective of neuroscience becomes a quietly radical statement of the need both to give and to receive care. That rare thing: a book which is actually necessary – JESSIE GREENGRASS, author * The High House *A fascinating psychoanalytical and neuroscientific journey … Solms deserves great thanks for this clinically and theoretically profound positioning of psychoanalysis in the canon of contemporary science – HERIBERT BLASS * President of the International Psychoanalytic Association *A brave book, that explains the complex dance between what we’re aware of and all the things that move below consciousness. It describes the choreography both from inside the mind, with the language of psychoanalysis, and also from the outside, in the language of neuroscience. Solms draws us wonderfully into this heady swirl – WILLIAM KENTRIDGE * artist and director of the animated film series, Drawings for Projection *Mark Solms brings his magisterial mind to Freud and those who followed in the quest to understand us human subjects. What Freud was arguing in the late 19th century is now the preoccupation of much neuroscience, albeit, often unacknowledged. Great thinkers need great explicators and Solms does an excellent job of linking developments in neuroscience, philosophy and psychoanalysis enabling us to more deeply understand human subjectivity. It is a great achievement – SUSIE ORBACH * author of In Therapy *

Mark Solms discovered the brain mechanisms of dreaming, transforming our understanding of the sleeping mind. A world-leading pioneer in neuropsychoanalysis, he has spent decades bridging Freudian theory and cutting-edge neuroscience. His acclaimed book The Hidden Spring (2021) established him as one of the most important voices in contemporary psychology. As translator of The Revised Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud (2024) and science director of the American Psychoanalytic Association, he is the foremost authority on psychoanalytic science today.