International Classification of Diseases 11th — A Neuropsychoanalytic Perspective
This course offers an in-depth exploration of the new ICD-11 diagnostic standards through the lens of the neuropsychoanalytic paradigm. The program is built upona synthesis of descriptive psychiatry and functional models of the mind proposed by M. Solms, J. Panksepp, and K. Friston. The course invites practitioners to view mental pathology not merely as a cluster of symptoms, but as a consequence of disrupted predictive coding and imbalances within core affective systems. Special emphasis is placed on resonance—the mechanism of affective attunement within the clinical encounter. The program enables specialists to move beyond formal diagnostic coding toward a comprehensive understanding of the “energetic” and “informational” dynamics of personality structure.
Module 1. Theoretical Foundations: Energy and Affect
Topic 1.1. The ICD-11 Revolution and the Free Energy Principle
* Dimensional diagnostic models: Shifting from rigid categories to spectrums.
* The brain as a prediction machine (K. Friston): Minimizing prediction error and the role of anxiety in this process.
* Resonance as a clinical tool for reducing entropy within the therapeutic dyad.
Topic 1.2. The Anatomy of Feelings according to Jaak Panksepp
* The seven primary emotional command systems (SEEKING, LUST, CARE, PLAY, FEAR, RAGE, PANIC/GRIEF).
* Neurochemical substrates of affects and their representation in ICD-11 diagnostic criteria.
* Consciousness as a derivative of brainstem structures (M. Solms): Why affect is primary.
Module 2. Clinical Psychopathology
Topic 2.1. Personality Disorders (6D10)
* The new classification: Severity levels and prominent personality traits.
* Disruption of the SEEKING system in narcissistic and borderline organizations.
* Resonance and countertransference in managing deficits in self-regulation.
Topic 2.2. Mood Disorders (6A70)
* Depression: Pathological activation of the PANIC/GRIEF system and deactivation of SEEKING.
* Mania as hyperstimulation of the search/foraging system.
* A neuropsychoanalytic view of suicidal risk through the prism of psychic pain.
Topic 2.3. Anxiety and Fear-Related Disorders (6B0)
* Differentiating objective fear (FEAR) from the uncertain anxiety of loss (PANIC).
* Prediction error and cognitive avoidance: The neurodynamics of phobias.
Module 3. Trauma and Embodiment
Topic 3.1. Disorders Specifically Associated with Stress (6B4)
* Complex PTSD (CPTSD) in ICD-11: Disruption of links between cortical predictive models and the affective core.
* Chronic stress as a factor of “informational noise” in neural networks.
* Restoring resonance following psychic trauma.
Topic 3.2. Disorders of Bodily Distress or Bodily Experience (6C1)
* Somatization as the brain’s inability to predict and interpret interoceptive signals.
* “The Body Keeps the Score”: A neuropsychoanalytic reading of psychosomatic symptoms.
Module 4. Clinical Application
* Clinical Case Study: Translating an ICD-11 diagnosis into the language of affective systems.
* Technique: Utilizing therapeutic resonance to address a patient’s prediction errors.
* Integrative treatment protocols: Combining pharmacotherapy with depth psychotherapy.
