Abstract
Eric Berne’s energy theory describes free cathexis and unbound cathexis as two forms of psychic energy. The authors suggest possible links between Berne’s theory of cathexis and recent models of brain functioning. They propose that neural systems involved in mental processes associated with voluntary attention may be connected to free cathexis. The default system, which is activated during a resting state when attention is not required for a specific task but is free to wander, is proposed as the neural substrate of unbound energy. The authors explore this hypothesis and consider evidence of default system involvement in there-and-then processing, self-projection, and spontaneous attention.