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The Only Cure

Freud and the Neuroscience of Mental Healing

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The Only Cure

By: Mark Solms
Narrated by: Mark Solms
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About this listen

 'A scholarly masterpiece, written by the world's greatest living authority on Freud . . . There is so much to be learned in these pages'
KARL J. FRISTON, the world's most cited neuroscientist

Once dismissed as unscientific, psychoanalytic therapy is proving to be among our most effective medical treatments of any kind - outperforming psychiatric drugs and rivalling vaccines in its power to prevent and heal. Why does it work so well?

Perhaps because one of the most controversial figures in psychology was right all along. Neuroscience now confirms much of what Sigmund Freud conjectured over a century ago: our deepest struggles stem, not from chemical imbalances, but from buried memories and unconscious conflicts that no pill can touch.

Using enthralling case studies and cutting-edge brain science, pioneering neuroscientist Mark Solms makes the case that psychoanalysis should resume its position as our master theory of the mind. Yet modern research also reveals where Freud got important things wrong. Could correcting these errors make therapy even more effective?

As psychiatric diagnoses soar and standard treatments continue to fail many patients, The Only Cure offers a revolutionary hope: a real science of healing, rooted in the radical idea that our suffering arises from truths we haven't yet faced.©2026 Mark Solms (P)2026 Orion Publishing Group Limited Mental Health Neuroscience & Neuropsychology Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Human Brain Health

Critic reviews

A wide-ranging and engrossing defence of Freud as a scientist and a healer . . . It would be difficult to improve on Solms's credentials for the task he sets himself . . . He is also a wonderfully witty and lucid writer . . . Deeply moving case histories of patients [. . .] show that at the heart of psychoanalytic practice is an empathy that enables patients to detoxify their experiences . . . Solms has nudged the attitude of this sceptic (Raymond Tallis)
This is an extraordinary book on so many different levels. It's a dramatic history of psychoanalysis, a reassessment of Freud, a fascinating and moving autobiography, and a compelling argument for rethinking the place of feelings and subjectivity within the framework of science. And hence it's also about caring, and nurture - and love. How minds change is the question at the centre of this book. It's changing mine (BRIAN ENO, producer, composer and artist)
Refreshing . . . Solms makes his case interestingly, sincerely and with passion
A scholarly masterpiece, written by the world's greatest living authority on Freud - the Editor of the Revised Standard Edition, and founder of the Neuropsychoanalysis movement. The origin story of Freudian ideas is introduced in forensic and fascinating detail and developed carefully in light of - evidence-based - 21st-century insights into mind and brain. It is also a deeply personal narrative, reflecting the author's good citizenship, clinical compassion and capacity to critique the fundamentals of psychoanalysis. There is so much to be learned in these pages (KARL J. FRISTON, the world's most cited neuroscientist)
Solms made a really compelling case that the origin of consciousness is with feelings, not thoughts. Feelings are the language in which the body talks to the brain . . . I'm convinced (MICHAEL POLLAN)
The Only Cure illuminates the deeper origins of our symptoms - how they arise, why they persist, and the protective purpose behind them. With clarity and compassion, Dr. Solms weaves neuroscience with lived experience to show that real healing begins with insight into our earliest emotional patterns (NICOLE LEPERA, author of the international bestsellers How to Do the Work and How to Be the Love You Seek)
Because of the author's unusual combination of expertise, The Only Cure provides many insights that are unique. The case descriptions are interesting and engaging. The science behind them is vast. It's an awesome book - a must-read for anyone involved in or interested in mental health (CRISTINA ALBERINI, Professor of Neuroscience at NYU, who demonstrated how early life experiences affect brain development)
Solms shows how Freud's deepest insights are being vindicated by modern brain science. Bridging neuroscience and psychotherapy, he argues that psychoanalysis remains the only truly curative treatment for many mental disorders. Really an inspiring read (VITTORIO GALLESE, co-discoverer of the mirror neuron)
All stars
Most relevant
Amazing journey through life and science while having Freud genius hovering over it! Brilliantly and passionately read by the author! Thank you Professor Solms!

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Before finding Solms, I felt like I had learnt so much about the brain but wasn’t that much closer to an integrated, intuitive, or useful understanding of it in practice. I now feel I am at least on the other side of that and would say that nothing else has had even close to the same effect. On top of this, I know I’m not alone in thinking that both this and The Hidden Spring are beautifully written and I personally feel that Solms comes across as a deeply empathetic and grounded author.

I want to say more on that last point, and I don’t really know how to say it other than the dude just gets it, like he doesn’t miss the forest for the trees or lose the magic of any of it or forget about the people who stand to benefit from getting all of this right. I think his personal story and his work actually treating people and so on probably explains what I’m expressing. Honestly my favourite author right now and I hope to see more from him.

A huge sigh of relief for those lost and frustrated in trying to understand the mind.

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