BRAIN. Broad Research in Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience 
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2021, Volume 12, Issue 2, pages: 303-307 | https://doi.org/10.18662/brain/12.2/207  
 

Habits, Addiction and 
Unknowable 
Charles JOUSSELLIN¹ 
 

1 MD, PhD, Médecin des hôpitaux, Centre 
hospitalier universitaire Bichat-Claude Bernard, Paris, 
France, charles@joussellin.fr, 48 rue Henri-Huchard, 
75018 Paris  
 

Abstract: Habits like addictions are resulting from tensions 
between multiple living phenomenons, unknowables and 
unobjectivables ; inside of organs, consciousness, humain body, there 
are subjectif language and interhumain relation-sheeps. Being 
affraid about the possible drift of the game of neuroscientific images, 
those of algorithms and protocols, we prefere the possibilities 
emerging from an intersubjectivity, with care-giving target. Take 
care of somebody else represents, first of all, a meeting-point between 
two subjects and the quality of this meeting will considerably 
influence the technicity or the effects of some medecines. The 
technical healthcare proposed in addictions does not escape the 
influence of the healthcare relation-sheep and the support of 
hypnosis for a person called « addict » is a good way between other 
possibles propositions. In the practice of hypnosis, we prefer images 
founded by the person that we support; in other words, a 
visualisation of their insight, in the middle of their intimate 
immensity: an ephemeral space rich in possibilities insight the 
subjectivity, wich remains unobjectivable. The person is not « 
thrown into the world » but opens a world of a hidden depth and 
greatness, singular, radicaly subjective, intimate, constructive. The « 
elsewhere » and the « once » are stronger than the « here » and « 
now ». 
 
Keywords: habit, addiction, unknown, subjectivity, hypnosis. 
 

How to cite: Joussellin, C. (2021). Habits, Addiction and 
Unknowable. BRAIN. Broad Research in Artificial Intelligence 
and Neuroscience, 12(2), 303-307. 
https://doi.org/10.18662/brain/12.2/207  

https://doi.org/10.18662/brain/12.2/207
mailto:charles@joussellin.fr
https://doi.org/10.18662/brain/12.2/207


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Habit, with the meaning of a permanent, regular, frequent way of 
behaviour, voluntarily acquired or not, is the « result of a change » and it 
runs the risk of dependance, impossibility of keeping that kind of behaviour 
under control despite its possible negative consequences. That has been 
named addiction starting with the 90’s in France (Fortané, 2010, pp. 5-24).   

The changes of behaviour, like the addictions of a human being, 
result in tensions among various living phenomena. They seem to raise no 
objections to us, but there is the risk of a reduction, of spoiling what is 
under study. 

How can you cure a person who acquires bad habits little by little 
and who is willing to become « addict » at potential proposals ? 

We want to show that all the people, just like all the living beings, 
have a side unknown to them, which is ready to be revealed, as well as an 
unknown side which is constantly changing in relation with the others. 

This is to be done, in order to foster our modesty in comforting 
another person and be on our guard concerning the all-powerfull medical 
technology and in order to enhance the quality of the main, intersubjective 
intercourse. This intercourse renders all proposal of a therapeutic kind more 
relevant, just like the therapy required for hypnosis. 

1. From the unknown and the unobjectivable 

The organ 

In his desire to perceive the mysteries of the living world, Felix 
Ravaisson displays his philosopphy thesis supported in 1838. According to it 
« it is more and more outside the sphere of personality, as well as outside the 
influence of the central organ of willingness, it is in the organs that certain 
movements have a tendency of acquiring habits and ideas (…) in the 
indefinite multiplicity of organisation » (Ravaisson, 2007, p. 47). 

Unknown or even unknowable phenomena within the body organs 
will participate in these changes of behaviour. 

The consciousness 

According to his pupil, Henry Bergson, the living, vegetal, animal or 
human world exists only in motion and requires a certain degree of 
consciousness which allows change, evolution under the influence of 
predictible or non-predictible phenomena. « Consciousness and materiality 
are thus revealed as radically different, even opposed forms of existence. 
They adopt a « modus vivendi » and get on well together to a certain extent » 
(Bergson, 2011, p. 13). Consciousness is unobjectivable, or can be in a poor 



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Charles JOUSSELLIN 

 

305 

and reduced way, nevertheless , a certain degree of consciousness exists in 
the whole evolution of a living world and particulary in the human beings 
and their habits and changings of habits. 

The thinking flesh 

The founder of the phenomenology, Edmond Husserl, described as 
intersubjectivity, whatever happens with a human being who encounters 
another human being. In these descriptions if « my flesh is a thing », 
meaning an object, an organ, « the flesh also have a feeling », that is « the 
synthesis of the flesh while it contains in itself the habitual synthesis of a 
thing, but even more » (Husserl, 2001, p. 53). To put it in a different way, 
the body of a person, organ, « Korper », but also « Leib », a living and 
subjective carrier of his history and culture, meets another person making 
use of his five senses, but also with the help of his own flesh and undeniable 
vivid and real subjectivity : that is a « thinking », vivid flesh. 

Today are all these fundamental notions considered from an 
objective, restrictive point of view, by the mirror-neurons of the 
neuroscientists… 

The subjective language 

« The most powerful forces of the intimate life – the passions, 
thoughts, pleasures of the senses – live a certain existence of shadows, as 
long as they are not transform into narrations and in generally by the artistic 
transposition of individual expériences » (Arendt, 1983, p. 89). 

In fact, the human being, allways worrying about the others and 
taking care of other human beings and things he has to face constantly, 
expresses himself by the language ; more often than by his artistic activity. 
The language represents what the person says and the way he puts it, which 
reveals his presence into the world, his « existence » (Heidegger, 1986). 

Is the language the only way in which we could understand and help 
a person in his changes of behaviour, even his addictions ? In fact, it is the 
only way at the risk of lapsus, oblivion, errors, even lies, bearing the stamp 
of his culture, history and circumstances. 

The humain being 

« Inter homines esse ». Living among the people, that is the human state, 
to which the triade mentionned by the french psychiatrist Claude 
Olieveinstein, brings to our attention a particular addiction - the drug-
addiction : « Drug-addiction is the meeting-point of a product, a personality 
and a socio-cultural moment » (Blaise & Rossé, 2011, pp. 57-82). There are 



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essential elements in accompanying and curing people suffering from an 
addiction. At the same time, we should be careful about what we may 
research, distinguish, analise, quantify because the study of the human 
behaviour allways involves the observer’s behaviour (Devereux, 2012, p. 48). 
In other words, the observer and the person under study observe each other, 
and thus they influence each other, that is called unobjectivable 
intersubjectivity. 

2. How can we cure with the unobjectivable and the unknowable ? 

Being aware that all these changes of habits are to be found 
simultaneously in the organs of mobility, in a certain consciousness, in a 
thinking flesh, in the middle of the uncertainty of the human language and in 
the constant human relations in the society, it must be taken into 
consideration that nothing is really objectivable more than in a reductive, 
dehumanizing way. 

Today, when our so-called modern world is ready to turn into a 
digital world, the phenomenon which draws our attention is no longer a 
drug but the fact that anybody can feel, thanks to « the tool of tools », his 
own hand : his finger, digitally, easily making virtual images appear on the 
screen ; at the risk of a Wifi access. It is neither the virtual which is all-
powerful, or possible, nor feelings of our heart, but often the games easily 
activated on the screens of the computer by a few clicks : « click and 
watch ! ». 

Moreover, a man loves playing, entertaining, especially in order to 
forget about his end-of-life, to get rid of his own misery : the interest in the 
Pascal entertainment ! That takes us back to the human state and the 
importance of taking into account the personality of each of us, the social-
cultural context and attachment to images, games at hand. 

Fearing the possible traps set by the games of neuroscientific images, 
of algorithmes and protocols, we prefer the possibilities with a curing aim. 

Without denying or putting aside the concern about the medical 
techniques and experts’ reports, we prefer to cure by intersubjective 
meetings between a patient and a person entitled to cure. 

Looking after somebody else is an intercourse between two persons 
and the quality of this intercourse, particulary the first one, will certainly 
influence the technique or the effects awaited of a medecine. The proposed 
curing techniques in addictions are influenced by the curer. Accompanying 
an addict by hypnosis is a possible cure, side by side with the others. 

 



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Charles JOUSSELLIN 

 

307 

Conclusion 

We prefer the images seen by someone led through hypnosis ; in 
other words to offer an inner-self visualisation, to the heart of our intimate 
immensity (Bachelard, 1994, p. 168), an ephemeral space filled with 
possibilities. A subjective treasure, admittedly impossible to grasp 
objectively, if not through the subject’s account. 

This exploration of subjectivity allows one to make sense of their 
experiences, whatever they may be. Through one simple memory, which one 
may reminisce on multiple times (though it will never be twice the same), 
images appear, where the details desappear, the picturesque fades out, the 
clock stops ticking, space expends limitlessly. 

By closing or opening the eyes, sounds change. 
The subject is not thrown into the world but makes his way towards 

a deep one, with a hidden, singular, radically subjective, intimate and 
constructive greatness. 

The « elsewhere » and the « once » are stronger than the « here » and 
« now ». 

References 

Arendt, H. (1983). Condition de l’homme moderne [The condition of the modern 
human]. Calmann-Lévy. 

Bachelard, G. (1994). La poétique de l’espace [The poetics of space]. PUF. 

Bergson, H. (2011). La conscience et la vie [Living consciousness]. PUF. 

Blaise, M., & Rossé, E. (2011). Monsieur Drogue. Claude Olievenstein, trente ans 
d'interventions médiatiques [Mr. Drogue. Claude Olievenstein, thirty years 
of media interventions]. Psychotropes, 1(17), 57-82. 
https://www.cairn.info/revue-psychotropes-2011-1-page-57.htm  

Devereux, G. (2012). De l’angoisse à la méthode dans les sciences du comportement [From 
anxiety to method in the behavioral sciences]. Flammarion. 

Fortané, N. (2010). La carrière des addictions, d'un concept médical à une catégorie 
d'action publique [The career of addictions, from a medical concept to a 
category of public action]. Genèses, 1(78), 5-24. 
https://www.cairn.info/revue-geneses-2010-1-page-5.htm  

Heidegger, M. (1986). Être et temps [Being and time]. Gallimard. 

Husserl, E. (2001). Sur l’intersubjectivité [On intersubjectivity]. PUF. 

Ravaisson, F. (2007). De l’habitude [Of habit]. Allia. 

 

https://www.cairn.info/revue-psychotropes-2011-1-page-57.htm
https://www.cairn.info/revue-geneses-2010-1-page-5.htm