Dr. Loren Weiner read the following introduction to the seminar "Infantile Mental Life and The Dream" held at the Palace Hotel, San Francisco under the auspices of the American Psychoanalytic Association 2011 Conference. She was both co-chair and the presenter of the seminar.

A Proposal

by Bernard W. Bail, M.D.

In science there is an agreement among scientists universally that there was a “big bang” and that it occurred 13.7 billion years ago. Agreement on that fact makes it possible for research on the universe to continue as it has; for example, the universe is expanding therefore it is changing.

In psychoanalysis there is no agreement as to beginnings. It is as if the mental universe is a floating island without beginning or end, as was once believed about the universe itself. Dr. Bail’s Theory of Imprinting provides an explanation of the origins of mental illness and fixes it at the moment the infant receives the imprint from the mother. It is the equivalent of the Big Bang for the fetus. Imprinting occurs, “when a mother unknowingly projects her unbearably painful and unresolved feelings and experiences into the nascent mind of her pristine and defenseless fetus or newborn. The fetus or newborn receives such projections as a severe blow to the essence of its nascent being. The imprint will split the baby’s mind and will unconsciously determine the nature of his or her life from its commencement until death” (Bail, 2007, p.42).

Dr. Bail believes that once there is agreement as to the beginnings of psychopathology, psychoanalysis will be able to move from a soft science, where there are many ideas about the origins of pathology, similar to a Tower of Babel with each group speaking a different theoretical language, to a hard science where there is agreement on the beginning of pathology and a method to heal it that can be studied and replicated.

The initial catastrophe that splits the infant’s mind can only be accessed through psychoanalysis, and more specifically, by understanding the truth of the patient’s life as shown by the unconscious via his dreams. The “imprint” is a foundational psychic event and through its understanding, Dr. Bail has been able to show the beginning of emotional illness and answers as to the origins of splitting, negative therapeutic reactions and repetition compulsions, origins of psychosomatic illness, including specifics about the psychological underpinnings of Crohn’s Disease, a new understanding about the basis and nature of identifications, the origin of homosexuality as a message from the mother’s unconscious, observations of the mass unconscious reflecting the political state of our world as well as observations of mankind’s connection to his own spirituality and the divine through the unconscious.

Dr. Bail has shown that the fetal imprint, or the fetal “Big Bang” happens to all of us. It is the foundation of emotional illness. Cure can only come from lessening or removing the imprint so that the original pristine self can emerge. If this theory is taken up in all seriousness, a flood of information will burst forth and all will accurately document mankind’s emotional and intellectual progress. What we know now will be integrated into what is to come and it will acquaint us with the immense possibilities for psychoanalysis and for all of us.

References:

Bail, B. (2007). The Mother’s Signature: A Journal of Dreams. Beverly Hills, CA: The Masters Publishing Co., LLC

A Brief List of Dr. Bail’s Essays

Bernard Bail, M.D. has written two books, the award winning memoir Irmgard’s Flute and The Mother’s Signature: A Journal of Dreams. Additionally, he has written over 70 essays, which can be found on the website: holisticpsychoanalysis.com. Dr. Bail has made several contributions to psychoanalysis, including his Theory of Imprinting and his conviction that mankind is essentially spiritual in nature and that our connection to the divine lies within the unconscious. Listed below are several of the areas Dr. Bail has written about and a sampling of the essays that deal with each topic.

Theory of Imprinting:
The Mother’s Signature (2001)
First the Bad News (2011)
Suffering the Truth (2010)
Who am I? (2010)
I Don’t Need You Mommy (2010)
The Molecules of Love- Or Not (2010)
And Now Love (2009)
The More Things Change the More They Stay the Same (2006)

Internal Sabateur/ Origins of Defenses:
The Road Out of Dystopia (2011)
The Spine of Civilization (2010)
The Long Hello (2010)

Spirituality:
Coming Unglued (2011)
Dead in the Water (2010)
Coda (2010)
The Big White-Out (2010)
The Annunciation (2010)
On Wild Surmise or Why Dr. Dombrowski May Have a Life (2010)
Where God Is (2008)
Dark Matter, The Unconscious and the Divine (2008)
The Roundabout (2008)

Mass Unconscious and the Psychoanalytic Foundation of Politics:
The Great Unwinding (2010)
The Betrayal (2009)
The Long Road Home (2009)
Venice Beach (2009)
Reflections on the Global Financial Crisis (2008)

Psychosomatic Illness:
The Mysterious Leap from the Body to the Mind (2007)
Toward a Unitary Theory of Body and Mind (2002)
Addendum Toward a Unitary Theory of Body and Mind (2002)

Origins of Homosexuality:
An Astonishing Revelation- Charles Cohen (2010)

You can reach Dr. Bail’s website www.bernardbailmd.comand on the main page there is a purple rectangular box with the link to www.holistic psychoanalysis.com. Once on that link, click on “essays” on the left side navigation bar.