What is sublimation?

Sublimation (from the Latin “sublimo” - I spiritualize, I lift up)

– the ability of the human psyche to attract and use an internal protective mechanism associated with the removal of emerging biological tension, accumulated unspent energy through its transformation, transformation into constructive, active, creative, positive, socially acceptable activity.

When they say that a person sublimates his energy, this means that he switches from physical and biological needs to achieving socially significant and cultural goals. The concept of sublimation includes the following components:

• redirection of energy from the desire to achieve base goals to achieve high goals approved by society (from sexual needs, instinctive human desires to creativity, spirituality);
• emotional restructuring of a person;
• psychological emancipation, liberation from biological instincts;
• transformation of accumulated energy into a socially acceptable form of human activity.

Freud's psychoanalytic theory

At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, the greatest Austrian psychologist and psychoanalyst used in his teaching the concept of sublimation as the primary source, the root cause underlying all cultural and artistic creations and works. In his opinion, the meaning of the transformation is that the physiological needs of a person, which are innate, primary (natural sexual attraction) turn into other goals not related to sexual satisfaction. A person switches to other types of activity, morally positive, corresponding to moral norms and principles, and receives the same pleasure, only the fruits of the redirection of energy are products of creativity. Freud considered sublimation as an exceptionally good defense that promotes constructive human behavior, sought-after activities, and the search for a socially adaptive resolution of internal contradictions and conflicts. Today, this concept has become much broader - in addition to primary needs, the redirection of energy has spread to any unacceptable impulses, unwanted, traumatic and negative experiences, regardless of their natural origin.

Example:

a penchant for sadism is transformed into socially useful surgical activity, sexual lust into fine arts, a penchant for aggression into martial arts, a penchant for violence into professional work in law enforcement agencies, an unhealthy interest in death into work as pathologists in morgues, voyeurism - into striptease activities, pyromania - into work in circuses and organizations involved in the creation of festive fireworks, etc. Z. Freud applied the main provisions of this theory in his psychoanalytic practice.

Survivalist menu: Freeze-dried meals and products

What's the most important thing about food from a survivalist's perspective? Food must be nutritious enough to provide all necessary needs . Well, maybe you can add additional vitamins. Food must have an extremely long shelf life so that after many years it does not lose its beneficial qualities. Food must be able to be stored in almost any conditions , since it is not always possible to properly equip the cache. All these parameters are satisfied by sublimates .

Sublimates. Pros, cons and basic principles

Sublimation is a process during which ice turns into steam without being in the physical state of a liquid. That is, the initial product is deep frozen to -45 degrees, after which, under vacuum conditions, the ice is sublimated immediately to the state of steam. But how is this better than ordinary drying, when water is removed in much simpler ways?

• sublimation is much faster
• Sublimation allows you to preserve the nutritional value and taste of the product. This occurs due to the fact that freezing occurs very quickly and the ice crystals do not have time to destroy the food cells. Due to this, the taste is preserved
• the freeze-dried product can be returned to its original state by simply filling it with water
• the freeze-dried product is deprived of almost all water, so its shelf life can reach 25 years
• the freeze-dried product does not require the use of preservatives and other crap - the food remains completely natural
• the sublimate returns to its original state after adding water to it. If you pour water into sublimate of boiled meat, you can eat it immediately without additional processing

And now about the shortcomings, so as not to be completely one-sided.

• Complexity of the process. a sublimate at home - you need powerful refrigeration units and ways to create a vacuum or ultra-low pressure.
• Expensive. The price of a freeze-dried product exceeds the price of a natural one.
• Unavailability. In Russia, only a couple of companies are engaged in the production of real sublimate , so it is either imported from abroad, or it is with great difficulty to find a domestically produced product.

freeze-dried products have something that completely eliminates all possible disadvantages. The fact is that anything can be turned a sublimate Berries, fruits, vegetables, first and second courses, milk, butter, etc. That is, oil, which under normal conditions can be stored for a maximum of 3 months, will be usable for several years. And its taste will remain exactly the same as it was before processing.

Variety is what makes freeze-dried food the perfect choice for the prepper. Yes, they are not picky people and are ready to eat the same thing for months, but when there is an opportunity to diversify the diet and not sacrifice anything, it would be a sin not to take advantage of it. And there are many options here. Almost all possible fruits and berries, dishes with chicken, fish, beef, pork, lasagna, ready-made soups and cereals, ice cream, vegetarian dishes, salads and much more. Some companies even accept custom orders if the customer has any food allergies or intolerances.

Another excellent property of sublimate is its ease of storage. It is enough to block the access of air and atmospheric moisture and forget about the product for at least 10 years. Therefore, sublimates come in vacuum packages , cans and even sealed buckets. All these methods have their pros and cons, so the nature of the packaging of the freeze-dried product may vary depending on the purpose. For example, buckets would be better suited for storage - large volume, long storage time provided by double walls, etc. And on a hike, it’s better to take sublimates in bags with you, since the most important thing in this situation is light weight.

Sublimates. Application specifics

Each product indicates two coefficients - sublimation and recovery. The first shows the ratio of the weight of the initial product to the weight of the freeze-dried product, and the second shows the ratio of the weight of the water-restored product to the freeze-dried product. In most cases, these numbers coincide, that is, after diluting with water, we get exactly the same weight as before processing. However, in some cases the final product will be less. This happens because, for example, when sublimating butter, the volume is measured from the original raw material - cream.

Sublimates are usually produced either in powder form or in small pieces. The first option is typical for products with a high liquid content, the second - for multi-component dishes. Beef, for example, can be presented either in the form of small slices, which are reduced to larger pieces, or in the form of a powder, from which something like minced meat is obtained.

Freeze-dried foods before diluting with water . And as a result, we get a mixture of two ready-made dishes - porridge with meat, for example. However, many products are available in ready-to-serve portions, which are not advisable to mix. You can use any water, but warm water will make the process go faster. On average - from two to five minutes. You don’t need to pour a lot of water - the amount is usually indicated on the packaging.

To summarize. Freeze-dried foods are a must-have item for every prepper. Yes, it’s more expensive than stewed meat, cereals and all sorts of “doshiraki”. But healthier, tastier and much more durable. Well, no one said that caches should be filled exclusively with sublimates. Diversity is an important factor for successful survival, no matter how you look at it.

And regarding the specific use of sublimates and personal experience... The following are verbatim the words of our editor-in-chief.

I’ll just tell you a short story... We went on a hike one day. We walked through the snow for about 20 km, walked until dark, without stopping, and got so fucked up that we were in no good mood. We found ourselves in a small forest, set up camp, and somehow built a hut. The temperature in the evening was -25°C, at night it dropped to -31°C, by the way... Well, they threw spruce branches right on the snow, sat down, and were like “now let’s eat!” Pasha takes out sublimates, saying, “...here I ordered from America, let’s try...” And in short, imagine - fucking forest, darkness, -30 below zero, everyone is crazy... And I eat meat lasagna with cheese and some kind of sauce... and it tastes like this , as if I had landed in a restaurant... In general, it was... I don’t know how to describe it... But this doesn’t happen with ordinary products like stewed meat, pasta, etc. =)

Jung's sublimation

Carl Jung, a famous Swiss psychiatrist and follower of Freud, criticized Freud's theory of sublimation. He believed that sublimation was of esoteric origin and attributed it to mystical phenomena. Jung gave this term a completely opposite meaning, pointing out the impossibility of scientifically based proof of Freud's concept. Jung did not deny sexual implications in any type of social activity, but believed that a person transforms the energy accumulated from sexual dissatisfaction not intentionally and forcibly, but unconsciously, and this requires alchemical transformations - fire and Primordial Matter.

Sexual sublimation

The concept of libido is associated with the sublimation of sexual energy. This is a sexual instinct, a sexual attraction that has a psychological origin. This energy is the most powerful and accessible. When it is realized, a person’s well-being improves, the world around him is filled with bright colors, creativity increases, and human relationships improve. When sexual energy is transformed into creativity, a person says that he has a muse that has inspired him - this is the object that helped transform his unsatisfied libido. In history one can find many examples of some geniuses who deliberately refused to satisfy natural human needs for great achievements in creativity (paintings by Leonardo da Vinci, Ivan Kramskoy). But psychotherapists do not approve of such behavior from the point of view of physical and mental health.

The most famous example of sexual sublimation is the Italian film comedy directed by Franco Castellano and Giuseppe Moccia, The Taming of the Shrew, where the main character, played by Adriano Celentano, a staunch misogynist accustomed to rough farm work, chops wood, releasing his irrepressible sexual energy. For him, sexual sublimation is hard physical labor.

Modern interpretation

The modern point of view regarding the interpretation of the concept of “sublimation” is that to sublimate means to redirect any secret aspirations and internal impulses disapproved by society to such forms of behavior that are controllable and positively assessed by society. The basis of secret aspirations and desires is a person’s libido.

When a person is overcome by a tender feeling, when he is attracted to another person, some kind of talent very often awakens in him: in writing poetry, depicting painting or creating musical works. Statistics show that all creative masterpieces were created at the moment when their creators were overcome by a wave of love.

Recommendations for the most effective transformation of sexual energy:

• It is necessary to get rid of internal tightness and loosen up;
• You need to work on your own creativity, develop your imagination, direct all your efforts to discover your inner potential;
• Concentration on the unconscious, getting rid of complexes, everything that prevents secret desires from manifesting;
• Treat yourself with maximum respect and love, believe in your own strengths and set yourself up to achieve unprecedented heights;
• Remember, absorb this feeling of emotional uplift, that enthusiasm that covers you at the mere thought of the object of your desire, trust your intuition.

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.

What is this from a scientific point of view?

Modern science interprets the concept of sublimation in a much more complex and deeper way than simply finding its connection with a person’s sexual desires. From a scientific point of view, this is a protective mechanism of the human psyche. Sublimation allows you to release human energy through sports, science, creativity, and religion. The brilliant director Alfred Hitchcock said that his only weapon for conquering his own fears was the creation of cinematographic creations. Energy can be invested in anything - even in washing dishes, the main thing is that this activity brings moral satisfaction. The term “sublimation”, in addition to psychology, psychoanalysis and philosophy, is also used in other sciences and areas of human knowledge:

• Chemistry (transition of a solid into a gaseous state without being in a liquid);
• Food industry (extracting ice from frozen foods);
• Printing (moving a picture from one surface to another).

Important! Man is a mystery to himself. Despite all his attempts to know himself, he never managed to do so.

Sublimation is an assistant in the process of releasing the creative forces dormant in a person and directing them into a creative direction. But it must be used with a certain degree of caution, without abandoning its natural purpose.

Sublimation of berries and other plant fruits of the earth

Lyophilize or freeze-dry, what does this mean in relation to berries, fruits and vegetables? The same applies to all of the above. This is the transformation of a solid into a gas without passing through the liquid phase. The process is expensive because it requires a lot of energy. Fruits, vegetables and berries are more than half water. When sublimated in a vacuum chamber, it is completely removed, but first the fruits are quickly, in shock mode, frozen to a temperature of -100 to -190 degrees Celsius. When sharply frozen, the intracellular fluid turns into tiny crystals and does not rupture the cell membranes. During normal freezing, the liquid expands and violates the integrity of the space in which it is contained. Freeze-dried is a product that has been freed from water, but has retained its beneficial substances and properties. Moreover, with such drying, it completely retains its shape, color and smell.