Final answer:
The procedure described is a lobotomy, a drastic psychiatric procedure used in the past to treat various disorders by severing connections between the prefrontal cortex and other regions of the brain.
Step-by-step explanation:
The procedure described in the question is known as a lobotomy.
A lobotomy is a drastic psychiatric procedure used in the past to treat various disorders. It involved severing the connections between the prefrontal cortex and other regions of the brain. This procedure was commonly done in the 1940s and early 1950s until antipsychotic drugs became available.