… for all the shortcomings in the concepts proposed by Freud and Breuer in Studies, the 21st century has brought no great advances to a better understanding of the mechanisms for this disorder. O’Sullivan is left wondering what this patient “could not bear to look upon” or “tolerate to remember”.ĭespite the many new technical means of investigation, researchers have very little to offer beyond Freud to account for how psychological and emotional experiences manifest in physical symptoms. Brain scans and an EEG were normal, but a neighbour told O’Sullivan that her husband had been released from prison. But a month later, she was readmitted, suffering from amnesia. Treated with muscle relaxant drugs, she soon recovered. Her husband was on remand for child abuse, but she refused to think this might be an important factor in her illness. The woman (Mary) who felt compelled to shut her eyes is one of many cases described by the neurologist Suzanne O’Sullivan in It’s All In Your Head. Two days later, she was able to leave the hospital, unaided. She found that talking her experiences through repeatedly was cathartic – her pent up feelings were released. She evidently knew this, but had pushed its significance out of her conscious awareness to protect herself. This caused the unbearable mental conflict that was “converted” into her physical symptoms. On interviewing Ely, he eventually discovered that she had been raped by someone she knew. Perplexed, Turnbull’s mind “suddenly jumped to Freud”, who he recalls said that mental conflict could become physical disability. The nurses thought she was putting it on. She seemed indifferent to her sudden paralysis. Ely didn’t even wince as the needle went in. After X-rays for a bleed in Ely’s spinal cord came back negative, Turnbull tried a lumber puncture to extract fluid. What is more surprising is that cases like this are typical of those routinely seen by neurologists today.įor example, the case of the 35-year-old woman (Ely), noted above, is given in Gordon Turnbull’s Trauma, a book on the history and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder. It was Freud who proposed that the memory of trauma which the patient fails to confront, because it will cause them too much mental anguish, can be “converted” into physical symptoms. Such information will result in removal of a comment.Josef Breuer, co-author of Studies On Hysteria. To protect individual privacy and the privacy of others, please do not include phone numbers, addresses or email details in the body of a comment. The Elder Statement blog does not endorse, support or otherwise promote any private or commercial entity or the information, products or services contained on those Web sites that may be reached through links on our Web site. The Elder Statement blog may not be able to verify, does not warrant or guarantee, and assumes no liability for anything posted on this website by any other person. The Elder Statement blog does not guarantee or warrant that any information posted by individuals on this blog is correct, and disclaims any liability for any loss or damage resulting from reliance on any such information. It is requested that all comments remain on topic. Comments that are spam or that promote services or products will not be posted. Comments that contain vulgar or abusive language personal attacks of any kind will not be posted. In addition, it is expected that participants will treat each other, as well as the author and admin, with respect.
That means all comments will be reviewed before posting. Comments submitted after hours or on weekends will be read and posted as early as possible, however admins and/or the author is unable to commit to replying to every comment posted. Moderating and posting of comments will occur during regular operational hours Monday through Friday. The author of this blog will attempt to engage in conversation via the comments section whenever possible and recognize the 24/7 nature of the internet.