From Spinoza to the Law of Conservation of Energy, the natural state of the mind is a return to equilibrium possessing zero energy.
If a stimulus acts on the body (e.g. a hand touching a hot stove), the electrical impulses would travel to the brain from the hand creating a surplus of energy in the brain, thereby disturbing the equilibrium. The brain must "abreact" or discharge the surplus energy by creating a reflex response (e.g. electrical impulse from the brain to the hand).
Easy enough when the stimulii are externally created but what about internal emotional stimulii?
Emotional stimulii improperly abreated (ie. someone insults you and you hold your tongue, stifling instinctional reflex actions to act out physically or verbally) are repressed by the conscious. The energy, however, must be diverted somewhere to restore equilibrium to the brain. The repression releases energy via two mechanisms:
a. displacement--you feel the appropriate response but attach it to another object (e.g. take it out on someone else besides the one who originally offended you).
b. conversion--the energy is transformed into somatic sensations (e.g. stress, upset stomach, panic attacks).
How does this model explain the inherent primary energy we possess (the instinctual energy present outside of our external stimulus)?
What happens to our sex drive when it is not abreacted?
Lets go ask the mystics :-)
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