Foreclosure, Repression, and Neurodevelopmental Trauma: Revisiting Symbolization Failure and Its Organic Roots

This paper revisits the relations between trauma, repression, foreclosure, and neurodevelopmental disorders from a longitudinal perspective. We propose that failures in symbolization, a central concept in Freudian and Lacanian metapsychology, may stem from underlying neurophysiological vulnerabilities rather than purely psychical conflicts. Using a modified version of Baudouin’s septenary model, we explore how developmental disturbances can impair psychic structuration at different stages, particularly through the failure to introduce the third element. Three clinical vignettes illustrate how trauma outcomes may diverge depending on neurodevelopmental substrates. We argue that integrating organic predispositions into psychoanalytic models may inform more targeted diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.