Contemporary Freudian Society

The CFS Scientific Program Committee is pleased to present

THE ONLY CURE
Presenter: Professor Mark Solms

Sunday, October 25, 2026, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm EST via Zoom
2 CEUs Available

Few figures in psychology have been as influential—or as controversial—as Sigmund Freud. For decades many of his ideas were dismissed as speculative and unscientific. Yet developments in modern neuroscience are prompting a surprising reassessment.

In this lecture, Mark Solms revisits Freud’s theory of mind in the light of contemporary brain science. He will explore what neuroscience now reveals about the unconscious, the emotional foundations of mental life, and the mechanisms through which talking therapies can alleviate psychological suffering. Drawing on recent clinical research and his latest book The Only Cure – Freud and the Neuroscience of Mental Healing, Solms will examine how “the talking cure” compares with drug treatment, and why psychoanalysis should resume its position as the most coherent and comprehensive theory of the mind. He will also consider why Freud and psychoanalysis have remained so fiercely debated for more than a century.

Presenter:

Professor Mark Solms is a member of the British Psychoanalytical Society and the American and South African Psychoanalytic Associations (APsA, SAPA). He is Director of Neuropsychology at the Neuroscience Institute of the University of Cape Town and honorary lecturer in Neurosurgery at St Bartholomew’s and Royal London Hospital Medical School. He is an Honorary Fellow of the American College of Psychiatrists. He is director of the Science Department of APsA and director of Training for SAPA. He has received numerous honours and awards, including the Sigourney Prize.  He has published 400 scientific papers, and nine books, the latest being The Only Cure: Freud and the Neuroscience of Mental Healing (2026). He is the authorized editor and translator of the Revised Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud (24 volumes) and the forthcoming Complete Neuroscientific Works of Sigmund Freud (4 volumes).

Program Fee: General $95 | CFS Members $80 | Candidates $30
Registration closes at 5:00 pm EST on October 23rd.

Cancellation within 7 days of program.

A recording of this event will be available for anyone who is not able to attend in real time. However, CE credits are available only to those who attend in real time.

Click Here to Register

References:

Solms, M. (2018). The Neurobiological Underpinnings of Psychoanalytic Theory and Therapy. Frontiers of Behavioral Neuroscience, 12, 294. doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00294

Solms, M. (2018). The scientific standing of psychoanalysis. British Journal of Psychiatry International, 15: 5-8

Solms, M. (2017). What is “the unconscious,” and where is it located in the brain? A neuropsychoanalytic perspective. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1406: 90–97.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this seminar, participants will be able to:
1. Describe what neuroscience now reveals about the unconscious.
2. Describe how talk therapy can alleviate psychological suffering, through the lens of recent discoveries in neuroscience.
3. Articulate how talk therapy compares with drug treatment, from the perspective of neuroscience.

CFS Scientific Program Committee:

Cornelius Dufallo (Chair) • Baiyu Chen • Umi Chong • Jennifer Grant • Michael Krass • Kristin Lee • Jessica Reik • Janet Schiff

Who Should Attend: The instructional level for this activity is advanced. Mental Health Professionals (psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, licensed professional counselors, e.g. LPs, LCATs, and pastoral counselors) and those with an interest in psychodynamic and psychoanalytic thinking and clinical applications.

For more information about the Continuing Education Credits and Registration click here