Science Fiction, Psychological Mystery Authors Challenge Freud with New Book “The Light in the Shadows”
Science Fiction, Psychological Mystery Authors Challenge Freud with New Book “The Light in the Shadows”
By Tina Bradford
Science fiction, psychological mystery authors Dr. Francis Gaal, and Nancy E. Dutt, two practicing psychotherapists are out to challenge Dr. Freud, the father of psychoanalysis.
“The Light in the Shadows, Beyond the Flat Line,” a futuristic page turner, depicts the future of brain imaging technology that would ultimately redefine dreams, the subconscious and psychoanalysis.
“Imagine what could be revealed if brain monitoring technology was able to access the secrets hidden in our unconscious mind? Such technology could profoundly impact our understanding of self,” states Dr. Gaal, who specializes in marriage and family therapy.
Co-author Dutt adds, “Dreams speak to us, telling us we have unfinished psychological work to do, and in some cases, are a conduit for the spiritual realm to deliver messages we are not receptive to during our waking life.”
The novel depicts Tiffany, and other post traumatic stress disorder patients at the fictional Hillman Sleep Disorder Clinic. There, the “CV7,” a brain imaging computer with capabilities far beyond the MRI of today, takes on a life of its own.
“This is the visionary leap that we take in the fictional novel. We believe that brain imaging technology is likely to progress far beyond the present capabilities of the MRI. The unique feature of the CV7 in the novel, is that it will take pictures of what the mind is visualizing and put it into a picture. Imagine the implications of technology that can record the contents of our dreams? Currently, the MRI looks more at the anatomical features of the brain and not the manifestations of the mind,” Dr. Gaal explains.
The authors point to major developments in brain imaging, including studies that show magnetic resonance that has enabled scientists to visualize and identify the exact location of brain activity during dreaming, and that dream content can be measured. Recent studies have found that our dreams are therefore not a ‘sleep cinema’ in which we merely observe an event passively, but involve activity in the regions of the brain that are relevant to the dream content.
Freudian theory would have to re-work psychoanalysis if dreams can be measured in a conscious method, adds Gaal. “The Light in the Shadows” is available in e-format at Barnes and Noble and on Kindle. In paperback ($13.99) it may be purchased at Amazon.com and at www.iuniverse.com. For additional information, visit www.thelightintheshadows.com.
