Physiology of Human Birth and Mental Disease

This chapter elucidates the physiology of birth and the pathology of human mind in accordance with Massimo Fagioli's theory of human birth (1972). Human life and psychic activity begin at birth, with the reaction of the biological matter to light, an inanimate reality which is absent in the fetal condition. Thus a capability to imagine arises and will develop throughout life. The 'first human thinking' begins as an image and non-conscious mental activity. This dynamic is common to all human beings, without sexual or ethnic differences. Mental illness is a disease affecting the irrational, non-conscious dimension, determined by a deficiency of affection in early human relationships. Mental illness is not a condition men are destined to, but rather a pathology that can be treated and cured through psychodynamic psychotherapy, within a valid therapeutic human relationship. This theory and its psychotherapeutic approach could provide new perspectives and possibilities for healthcare services and prevention policies, to assure mental well-being.