Von der Seele

A series of reflective essays explores the relations between body and mind by treating topics such as rhythm, humor, sleep and dreams, the subconscious, mental inhibition and pain, instinct and play, temperament, and the distinctions between animal and human souls. Bodily phenomena like wound healing, nutrition, skin sensation, and intoxication are discussed as expressions of psychophysical interaction, while music, faith, and science are examined for their educative and explanatory roles. Emphasis falls on how resistances and rhythmic patterns shape mental life, and on sketching mechanisms by which physiological conditions influence feeling, thought, and behavior.