Sublimation in psychology: what is it in simple words, examples

What is sublimation in psychology in simple words

The first person to talk about sublimation was a psychiatrist, psychoanalyst and neurologist rolled into one. We are talking about a man named Sigmund Freud, it was he who first introduced the term sublimation.

It dawned on him after reading Heinrich Heine’s book. The book described the story of one boy who abused dogs and later became a respected and sought-after surgeon.

Freud called this transformation sublimation. He was confident that the energy that caused pain to be caused to animals was eventually sublimated (redirected) into positive and socially useful actions.

Sublimation in psychology is a protective mechanism that helps relieve internal tension by redirecting unspent energy into a socially acceptable direction, for example, this can be engaging in any creative activity. Sublimation is perhaps the most effective way to cope with negative experiences and even depression.

In simple words , sublimation is the replacement of one thing with another. Examples of sublimation will be given in the following paragraphs.

The benefits of sublimation - the conclusion of Theodor Adorno

The German philosopher and sociologist Theodor Adorno believed that a person’s true desires can be judged by a person’s activity on the Internet and his television preferences. For example, people who secretly crave violence watch corresponding programs and films.

In addition, the Internet and television help get rid of daily worries, stress, fatigue, and disappointment. A person chooses films and programs that compensate for what he lacks in real life.

How does sublimation work?

The mechanism of the process is based on redirecting energy into a productive direction. This is done both consciously and without awareness.

This technique helps eliminate the state of internal conflict and cope with negative feelings, be it dissatisfaction with something, anger or other harmful emotions. As a result, they find a way out in the form of physical or creative activity.

Anyone can choose the best sublimation option for themselves. For some, this way out will be physical labor or cleaning, for some, creative activity, and for others, fitness.

If you feel like something is causing you strong anger or irritation, try to spend a couple of hours putting things in order around you:

• tidy up various little things
• lay out your clothes
• iron the laundry, etc.

During the lesson, time will pass faster, and as a result you will feel better.

This mechanism helps to cope and survive all kinds of stress, negative emotions, complexes and forbidden thoughts. For example, a person with sadistic tendencies can be a brilliant surgeon and will save many lives. A creative person expresses his sexual complexes in various works of art.

It follows from this that sublimation is a natural process that helps suppress most unwanted and negative emotions. In some cases, a person is able to do this on his own, and sometimes he needs the help of a specialist, that is, a psychotherapist.

Using sublimate in cooking

We can make an unambiguous conclusion that freeze-dried is a product that helps out in many situations and makes it very easy to solve many problems. You can prepare a lot of different dishes from freeze-dried fruits and berries. They can be used whole, or you can grind them in a blender and use the powder. It is used to color and flavor creams and biscuits.

Whole berries are added to pie fillings, porridges, and healthy drinks are made from them. For example, tea with freeze-dried raspberries for colds is much more beneficial than jam or dried leaves of this plant. In our Russian natural conditions, it is not so easy to preserve berries collected during the season. We cannot dry it in the sun, as they do in Central Asia - the temperature is not the same, and when cooking compotes or jams, as well as freezing in a regular refrigerator, most of the beneficial substances are lost.

Freeze-dried berries, fruits and vegetables are very good for baby food. They can be ground and introduced into the diet in small portions.

Where does the term sublimation come from?

To complete the picture, we should first consider the physical meaning of sublimation. In physics, this word refers to the process of transition of a substance from a solid state to a gaseous state, bypassing the liquid state. This phenomenon is also called sublimation.

In ordinary life, such a metamorphosis can be observed in the example of dry ice cubes. It consists of carbon dioxide converted to a solid state and is most often used in the food industry to cool foods and prolong their freshness.

If you hold such a cube in the open air, its composition will begin to evaporate quickly, while it will remain just as dry.

Dry ice sublimation

The familiar ice from water can also sublimate if placed in a vacuum. This technique is also used in the food industry, and more precisely in the process of producing instant coffee. The high concentration solution is frozen, then crushed into small pieces, after which they are sent into a vacuum. The ice evaporates, leaving only porous granules of the product.

The founder of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud, saw similarities between this physical process and the special mental behavior of a person. He drew a parallel between natural sublimation and the individual’s ability to contain strong experiences within himself, directing them in a positive direction.

The parallel with the psychological process of human protection arose because sublimation in physics and chemistry is often used to purify the composition of a substance.

The Austrian psychologist described this as redirecting the energy of unacceptable (forbidden) desires to achieve one's useful goals. In his opinion, such a phenomenon is natural for the psychological defense mechanism of any person, so he looked for ways to apply it in practice with patients.

Freeze-dried coffee

At the beginning of the last century, the technology for producing instant and then lyophilized coffee was invented.

Produced by sublimation, or freeze-dried coffee, what does this mean? This means coffee made from coffee extract that has been first frozen and then vacuum dehydrated. Instant coffee is obtained from the extract by evaporation without freezing and without the use of a vacuum. Freeze-dried coffee, or, as it is commonly called, “freeze-dried”, is much more expensive than instant coffee. Subsequently, it was from sublimated that they began to make granular. Coffee lovers still prefer natural beans. The fact is that when sublimated or when making instant coffee, it largely loses the aroma for which it is so valued. Initially, this technology for processing coffee beans was ordered for the needs of the American army, because in the trenches it is inconvenient to grind beans and brew a drink in a Turk. The need for a product that did not require complex preparation and increased tone was great.

So, freeze-dried coffee, what does it mean? This means that a drink made from beans processed by sublimation still gives vigor, but does not delight with the authentic coffee aroma and is quite expensive, although the cheapest and unpopular varieties are used for the production of freeze-dried and instant coffee. The best coffee is sold in beans.

Sigmund Freud's theory of sublimation

As already mentioned, the first author of the idea of ​​​​the existence of such a defense mechanism is Sigmund Freud. In his opinion, sublimation occupies an important place in human life. Freud argued that civilization arose through this defense mechanism. Many works of art were born thanks to sublimation.

A good example of the theory of sublimation is the works of Leonardo da Vinci. Due to the lack of interest in his personal life, the scientist, artist and engineer managed to create a large number of masterpieces. He considered sex and similar relationships between people to be something immoral and unworthy. According to Leonardo da Vinci, science, architecture, art are more important than earthly love.

Sigmund Freud explained his activities by the conscious sublimation of sexual energy into a scientific direction. According to the psychoanalyst, sex is “decent” only for the purpose of procreation. True pleasure can only come from the result of your own work.

After analyzing the lives of many outstanding artists, writers and poets, Freud came to the conclusion that the most striking works were created in the absence of love relationships.

The process of sublimation not only redirects energy into physical labor, but also makes it possible to realize your dreams and fantasies in the process of any activity.

Examples from life

Sasha feels resentment towards his colleagues who dumped all the work on him on Friday evening and went home. Instead of showing aggression, the next day he goes to the stadium and runs 10 kilometers.

Lisa loves Lesha, but instead of flirting with him, she enthusiastically paints pictures in the evenings, sighing heavily for her lover.

Lyosha also loves Lisa and therefore plays online games for days, directing his unspent sexual energy to the excitement of conquering the next kingdom.

Now you know what helps wet towels dry in winter, how freeze-drying is related to instant coffee, and why lovers carry a notebook with poems with them. This is all multifaceted sublimation.

Examples of sublimation

Now let's figure out through what activities you can sublimate.

Sport

Any physical exercise helps to throw out negative energy. There are many examples in everyday life, many famous athletes who began their careers while in some difficult life situation.

Body work helps you shift negative thoughts, find purpose, and cope with stress. The fight-or-flight response is an instinctive response under severe stress. Depression does not allow this energy to be released; global negativity stagnates within a person.

It is important to take the first step, to start doing something, even if you don’t see the point, even if you don’t have the strength . But it is very important to take this step, then the path will open on its own.

You might be interested in : The most unusual sports in the world that you didn’t know about.

Drawing

A great way to give shape to your own negative experiences. Even if a person has never drawn before, you can try to express your emotions on a piece of paper. Let it be something gloomy that sits in the soul and does not allow you to fully enjoy life. Or, on the contrary, it is something colorful and bright.

Art therapy can be absolutely anything, you can draw with a pencil, you can fill balloons with paint and throw darts at them, you can draw on water or sand. Human imagination is unlimited.

The main thing is to do something. When a person who is deeply depressed gives some form to his experiences, it definitely becomes easier.

Music

You can listen to motivational music even if you don't feel like it. You can start learning to play any instrument, write a song yourself if you already know how to play.

Mantras and meditations help you relax and switch, and the sounds of nature relax you.

Dancing

Dance therapy is the quintessence of sports and music. Physical exercise, like sports, helps relieve stress, and music relaxes and distracts.

Body movements as a way of expressing emotions have been meaningful since ancient times. For example, you can remember the ritual dances of shamans; in this way they connected their energy with the elements.

Nowadays, by dancing, a person can express any pain, throw it out into creativity, and share it with others.

Poetry or prose

You can try to write a poem, a story, a novel, an article. Talk about your experiences. You can start a blog and find like-minded people who can support you.

There are many examples in life when a small accident led to something great.

Foods that can be made freeze-dried

Yes, almost everything. Berries and fruits - blueberries, lingonberries, quinces, cranberries, blackberries, peaches, apples, strawberries, black and red currants, plums, cherry plums, apricots. Moreover, both in the form of juice and in the form of puree, as well as fresh fruit cut into cubes. By the way, don’t even think about eating freeze-dried berries as dried fruits! Although they look very attractive and smell wonderful, they require a huge amount of moisture, and you are guaranteed to be wildly thirsty afterwards! Any vegetables - the most common are potatoes, beets, cabbage, onions, peppers, carrots, zucchini, tomatoes. Even pickles. Mashed potatoes with meat cutlets are the fastest disappearing product in online stores in the summer. Meat and fish products, mushrooms – both fresh and ready-to-eat. They produce raw and boiled beef, chicken, boiled and smoked pork, tongue and liver. Especially loved by connoisseurs of healthy eating are cottage cheese, butter, sour cream, cheese, yogurt, kefir and yogurt. The oil becomes even “oilier” - the fat content of the freeze-dried oil from the Russian manufacturer is 97.2% versus 82.5% of the usual one thanks to special original know-how.

Alcoholic drinks are also sublimated - in Europe you can find red and even rose wine, here we have vodka. It is highly valued by advanced fishermen and tourists, apparently for reducing the risk of breaking a precious bottle.

Vacuum-freeze drying was invented by the Russian mining engineer Lappa-Starzhenetsky, who invented a special oven in the 20s of the last century. Pharmaceuticals immediately began to use it - for the production of dry components of blood substitutes and antibiotics. In the 60s of the 20th century, technology came to the service of polar explorers, sailors, geologists and tourists. The first tubes of freeze-dried food can still be seen in the Museum of Cosmonautics.

However, gourmets and followers of healthy eating schools especially love vegetable juices that are difficult to produce at home - for example, the invaluable beet juice. In freeze-dried form - diluted with warm water, after 10 minutes it becomes tasty (unlike freshly grated beets) a universal remedy for Makropoulos: reduces acidity, cleanses the blood-forming organs, maintains insulin levels, reduces “bad” cholesterol, stimulates potency, increases hemoglobin . How many kitchen feats a month will it take you to grate and squeeze out a glass of not particularly tasty beetroot, cabbage or parsley juice for each family member? That's it. And freeze-dried: dilute a couple of spoons with hot water (you can also use cold water, but it takes a little longer) - and after 10 minutes the delicious juice (and in the vacuum chamber it also tastes very pleasant) is ready. As well as the healthiest juices from nettle and celery - if you want, of course, to improve your vision, restore strength and remove a wide variety of toxins from your body. Men will especially appreciate freeze-dried cabbage juice - folk recipes with its morning health-improving properties have been known for many centuries. A spoonful of sublimate, half a glass of water - and suffering will be replaced by bliss. A separate chapter needs to be written about healing celery juice. Freeze-dried nettle is also good literally everywhere - in salads, purees, fashionable green smoothies, aromatic cabbage soup. It contains more beta-carotene than carrots, and more vitamin C than grapefruit.

There is an opinion that it is advisable to dilute whole vegetable juices with water 1:1, as well as, for example, with apple juice. And please don’t drink more than a glass a day.

Instead of output

Any sublimation can develop into a way to make money, because any problem is given for something. Maybe just to discover new talents in yourself. You must force yourself to take a step towards life, share your experiences, and not carry them inside yourself.

You can give an example with a cake. For example, you have a cake. It’s huge, with a lot of rich cream, three tiers. But you don’t want to share it with him; you carry it with you everywhere. You think that others will not like this cake. And you need to eat it yourself, you have to eat only it, but it doesn’t end there.

And now it makes you sick, it’s no longer possible to eat it on your own, your arms and back hurt because you carry it around with you, you want to give it to someone. It is very important to share this cake with friends, relatives, and just passers-by to make it easier.

The same thing happens with your negative experiences and thoughts. To make it easier, you need to share them with the world.

Was there anything you didn’t like about this article, do you have anything to add, or did you find an error? Be sure to write about it in the comments. Not a single comment will be left unattended!

Characteristics of molecular drying products

Freeze-dried berries - what are they and how do those dried by freeze-drying differ from those dried in the traditional way? Because they look the same as fresh ones. Due to the complete preservation of color and shape, they can be mistaken for synthetic, however, if you put them in a cup of water, they will absorb moisture within 10-15 minutes and become juicy, as if they had just been picked from a bush. At the same time, no dye, preservative or flavor was added to the product. The weight of the sublimate, accordingly, is several times less than that of a non-dehydrated product.

The disadvantages of this processing method include very high energy consumption. Firstly, this is the creation of a high vacuum, and secondly, the need for very careful initial processing.

In what fractions do freeze-dried berries and fruits exist?

Freeze-dried berries and fruits are one of the most popular goods on the culinary market. They are used on an industrial scale, in private commercial cooking, and in everyday life.

The choice of fractions is varied, and this provides a wide range of applications; these can be whole berries, slices (thin sections), halves, pieces of uneven shape and different sizes with gradation by fraction, pieces of regular shape made from powder by molding, gris or granules, powder . The Shoko.ru company catalog presents a large assortment of freeze-dried berries and fruits in different fractions.

How to sublimate effectively: my tips

To sublimate consciously and effectively, you need to understand what you are experiencing and what it can be turned into. I’ll give you a hint: the universal sphere of sublimation is creativity. And the most universal form of creativity is drawing. You can express any emotions and fantasies in it, and you don’t need to be able to draw to practice. The result will be something like independent home art therapy.

These tips will help make sublimation as effective as possible:

1. Take a comfortable position (sitting or lying down), isolate yourself from society and any irritants, close your eyes. Listen to your thoughts and feelings, try to identify your emotion.
2. Think about when and where you experience this most often. What and who surrounds you at these moments. What exactly is the emotion associated with?
3. Think about where your emotion is concentrated: legs, arms, torso, etc.
4. Draw the emotion and the conditions under which it occurs. Remember that there are no restrictions. You can draw with any part of the body (where the emotion lives), with any objects. And you can draw anything. Have you seen modern art? In my opinion, most of them are sublimation products. In general, if you are angry with someone, then splash paint on the canvas. If you want to tear someone apart, smear paint on the canvas with your hands. If you're sad or feel like you're missing something, paint a picture that reflects that. Or you can do this exercise: blindfold yourself and move a pencil along the sheet as you see fit.

And this is a universal algorithm for sublimation for the benefit of the individual and society:

1. Make a complete list of what you do in life. Write down every hobby, main activity (work or study).
2. Opposite each line, put a plus sign (your choice, true desire) or a minus sign (forced measure, unconscious sublimation). I’ll give you a hint: what belongs to the second usually looks like a simple habit; there is no personal meaning in it.
3. Sort each activity with a minus sign. What is the need behind this? What is needed to satisfy it? What types of social activities can you find this in?

Important! Don't limit yourself to the advice of other people or experts. Listen to yourself and do what your soul is drawn to. Try, even if you think you can’t do something. And if you know how to do something and you are interested in something, then even more so, try it.

Protection rules

Before you familiarize yourself with the rules of sublimation, you need to know that in many cases the phenomenon occurs on a subconscious level and is not controlled by a person. Therefore, it is very important to discover this ability in yourself and understand your true motives and the reasons for possible frustration.

Rules for effective sublimation:

• You must try to live every event in your life and not suppress the emotions that arise when appropriate.
• To focus on any task or goal, you need to get rid of external stimuli and be alone with yourself.
• It is necessary to develop imagination and the ability to think creatively. To do this, it is recommended to read works of fiction and engage in creativity.
• Don't limit yourself to new experiences; It will be useful to constantly learn something new, make different acquaintances and experience interesting emotions.
• It is necessary to make an appointment with a psychologist or psychotherapist to work through complexes or problems with communication and self-acceptance.

By following these rules, you can prepare yourself to become aware of problems and unexpressed needs, which allows you to find a way to express the accumulated energy.

Its transformation can occur in the form of:

• creating works of art;
• performing sports exercises;
• scientific activities;
• creation of musical works;
• writing poetry or prose;
• engaging in activism in any organization;
• dancing, stretching or yoga classes.

Sublimation may vary depending on the needs that predominate in a person. The most problematic thing is to sublimate aggression, which most often arises due to self-doubt, complexes and inability to communicate with people.

There are rules to cope with aggression using sublimation:

• it is necessary to create conditions for the manifestation of creativity;
• it is necessary to focus on positive events;
• It is advisable to go in for sports as an effective way to relieve stress;
• you need to create a safe atmosphere around yourself, turn to loved ones for support;
• It is advisable to contact a psychotherapist and work through the situation that caused the aggression.

There is also a concentration technique that is often used to find a way to embody energy in an activity.

It is called “Black Hole” and consists of the following sequence of actions:

1. It is necessary to create complete soundproofing in the room.
2. Close the curtains in the room to create a feeling of complete darkness.
3. Focus on your goals and let your thoughts flow to generate new ideas.

This method allows the psyche to focus only on a specific task and not be distracted by extraneous stimuli.

For the same purpose, there are sensory deprivation chambers, which are found in some spas: during the procedure (floating), a person is in a pool with a salt solution, which feels like it keeps the body weightless. The temperature of the solution corresponds to body temperature, and extraneous sounds and light do not penetrate into the room.

This promotes complete relaxation of the senses and body, so the brain, due to the lack of familiar information to process, allows you to think about things that a person had not thought about before. This procedure allows you to look at problems from a different angle and find new solutions to your goals, so the process is often compared to deep meditation.

Sublimation is a defense that, in psychology, allows one to direct internal unwanted impulses to socially approved activities. Proper preparation for the process of sublimation and awareness of internal conflicts and causes of frustration allows you to effectively use your energy and feel satisfaction from the activities performed.

Advantages of sublimates

As laboratory studies in the field of dietetics have shown, products subjected to vacuum freeze-drying are superior in quality to analogues intended for dietary nutrition. They:

Almost everything lends itself to this method of canning - vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, milk, meat, fish, soups and other ready-made dishes. Fresh products are freeze-dried. Their preservation does not require the use of dyes, flavor enhancers, or flavorings. No natural or artificial preservatives are needed. Even small children can eat such food.

For many years, sublimates have been included in the diet of not only astronauts who have been in orbit for a long time. This food is taken on hikes and supplied to expedition participants, representatives of the Ministry of Emergency Situations and other services. Light, low-volume, instant food is very helpful in any situation.

According to Jung

The term "sublimation" was taken by Freud from alchemy; it means the transition of a substance from one state to another through transformations in the process of producing gold. Jung criticized Freud for neglecting the alchemical origins of the concept of sublimation and for attempting to pass off the concept as scientifically valid.

Jung believed that human psychic energy can move from more primitive, undifferentiated, instinctive processes to higher cultural, spiritual, more differentiated ones. For example, when the energy withdrawn from the sexual urge is invested in religious values, this energy is said to be sublimated.

Its form has changed in the sense that a different type of work is being carried out; in this case, religious work replaced sexual work. At the same time, Jung contrasted sublimation with repression. This phenomenon is characterized by blocking the charge of energy through instinctive or sublimation channels, but does not disappear due to the principle of energy conservation.

In this way, it is directed into the unconscious, through which it will subsequently want to break through into the real Self. This leads to the fact that a person begins to behave irrationally and impulsively.

Sublimation and repression are exactly opposite in character. Sublimation is progressive, repression is regressive. According to Jung, sublimation serves rationality, repression serves irrationality.