{"id":497,"date":"2026-07-27T05:44:31","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T05:44:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/driss-boussaoud.rovexen.com\/?page_id=497"},"modified":"2026-08-27T10:51:54","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T10:51:54","slug":"a-propos","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/driss-boussaoud.rovexen.com\/en\/a-propos\/","title":{"rendered":"ABOUT"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Neuroscience, Psychotherapy & The Brain of Presence\n\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tA simple question, at the heart of everything\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tIs the brain really designed to function on its own?\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSocial neuroscience generally defines sociality in terms of human interactions\u2014communication, cooperation, empathy, theory of mind. But could sociality begin before any interaction? Even before words? At the moment when the brain must first answer a more fundamental question:\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Is anyone here?\"\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThis question lies at the heart of my current research and the project The Brain of Presence.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Who I am\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAfter more than forty years devoted to the study of the brain, attention, neural networks and behavior, I have gradually been led to a question that I had not anticipated: what happens to the brain in the presence of others?\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tI am Driss Boussaoud \u2014 neuroscientist, Emeritus Research Director at the CNRS, clinical psychologist, neuropsychologist and EMDR therapist in Marseille.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNot only during explicit interactions \u2014 conversation, cooperation, exchange. But before. From the moment another organism is simply there, perceived, felt, available. Or absent.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThis question transformed my approach to research. And gradually, it also transformed my approach to clinical practice.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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A journey between laboratory and office\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMy training is twofold. A neuroscientist by training \u2014 a doctor of neuroscience, qualified to supervise research, founder and director of the Mediterranean Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience (INCM) \u2014 I have also completed comprehensive clinical training in psychology, with a specialization in neuropsychology and certification in EMDR therapy.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThis dual focus is not a coincidence. It stems from a conviction I have gradually developed: neuroscience and clinical practice need each other. Discoveries about the brain should not remain confined to laboratories. And clinical practice benefits from a precise understanding of what happens neurobiologically in suffering, in relationships, and in healing.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tI currently practice as a clinical psychologist in Marseille, with a focus on neuropsychology and psychotherapy\u2014trauma, anxiety, relationship difficulties, attachment issues, and emotional regulation. My approach integrates EMDR, schema-based therapies, ACT therapy, polyvagal theory, and insights from contemporary neuroscience.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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The Brain of Presence \u2014 an ongoing project\n\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Presence Brain project explores the hypothesis that the presence of others\u2014or their absence\u2014is not simply a contextual factor in mental functioning. It is one of the conditions that help to organize it, from synaptic mechanisms to large cognitive networks.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThis project takes several forms simultaneously.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOn the scientific front, a journal article\u2014\"The Brain of Presence: A Foundational Framework for Social Neuroscience\"\u2014is currently freely available on the OSF (Open Science Framework) platform. It draws in particular on a study published in 2025 in Communications Biology, showing that the presence of a conspecific modifies synaptic efficiency across several scales of brain organization, in both monkeys and humans. A book, intended for a wider audience, is also in progress.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tClinically, this framework sheds a different light on the realities I encounter every day in practice: anxiety as hypervigilance to presence, trauma as a rupture of presence, depression as the experience of a brain that carries alone what it expected to carry with several, therapy as the progressive restoration of a soothing presence.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tIn terms of transmission, this platform \u2014 with its articles, blog and newsletter \u2014 is the place where these ideas are explored, expanded and shared, at the crossroads of research, clinical practice and ordinary human experience.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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What I believe\n\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNeuroscience can help us better understand why certain presences soothe us, why isolation can be so costly, why trauma transforms the way we perceive others, and why human presence and relationship profoundly alter the brain.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBut this understanding only makes sense if it connects with lived experience \u2014 that of patients, practitioners, and anyone who wonders why they feel different depending on whether they are alone or accompanied.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThis is the dialogue that this site seeks to maintain.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEMDR<\/a> EMDR \u2013 Understanding how reprocessing difficult memories can promote psychological healing.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTrauma <\/a>Better understanding the consequences of simple or complex psychological trauma.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAnxiety<\/a> Understanding the mechanisms of worry, hypervigilance and panic attacks.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDepression<\/a> Exploring the link between mental exhaustion, loss of momentum and feelings of disconnection.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAttachement<\/a> Understanding the brain gradually learns whether it can rely on the presence of others.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCOUPLES THERAPY<\/a>Couple therapy \u2013 Understanding relational dynamics and attachment difficulties in the couple.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tConsultations<\/a> Practical information about consultations in Marseille or via teleconsultation.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBlog Article<\/a> Borderline Personality Disorder: Better Understanding for Better Treatment \u2192\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Diplomas and professional credentials\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tClinical psychologist and neuropsychologist. Master's degree in Psychology \u2014 Aix-Marseille University. PhD in Neuroscience \u2014 Claude Bernard University Lyon 1. Habilitation to Supervise Research (HDR) \u2014 Claude Bernard University Lyon 1.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEmeritus Research Director at the CNRS. Founder and former Director of the Mediterranean Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience (INCM). Former Deputy Director of the Institute of Systems Neuroscience (INS). Founding member and former President of the Mediterranean Society for Neuroscience (MNS).\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRPPS No. : 10010048246 \u2014 SIREN No. : 102766474\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Neurosciences, Psychoth\u00e9rapie & Le Cerveau de la Pr\u00e9sence Une question simple, au c\u0153ur de tout Le cerveau est-il vraiment con\u00e7u […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_header_footer","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"no-sidebar","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"full-width-container","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"disabled","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-497","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/driss-boussaoud.rovexen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/497","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/driss-boussaoud.rovexen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/driss-boussaoud.rovexen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/driss-boussaoud.rovexen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/driss-boussaoud.rovexen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=497"}],"version-history":[{"count":76,"href":"https:\/\/driss-boussaoud.rovexen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/497\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2644,"href":"https:\/\/driss-boussaoud.rovexen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/497\/revisions\/2644"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/driss-boussaoud.rovexen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=497"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}