Collected Papers on Analytical PsychologyJung, C. G. (Carl Gustav)
Science
Collected Papers on Analytical Psychology
Jung, C. G. (Carl Gustav)
Psychoanalysis
remarks of those taking part which referred to the trance speeches or
directly to herself. I could never discover any definite rapport in this
connection.
In addition to these great attacks which seemed to follow a certain law
in their course, S. W. produced a great number of other automatisms.
Premonitions, forebodings, unaccountable moods and rapidly changing
fancies were all in the day's work. I never observed simple states of
sleep. On the other hand, I soon noticed that in the middle of a lively
conversation S. W. became quite confused and spoke without meaning in
a peculiar monotonous way, and looked in front of her dreamily with
half-closed eyes. These lapses usually lasted but a few minutes. Then
she would suddenly proceed: "Yes, what did you say?" At first she
would not give any particulars about these lapses, she would reply
off-hand that she was a little giddy, had a headache, and so on.
Later she simply said: "they were there again," meaning her spirits.
She was subjected to the lapses much against her will; she often tried
to defend herself: "I do not want to, not now, come some other time;
you seem to think I only exist for you." She had these lapses in the
streets, in business, in fact anywhere. If this happened to her in
the street, she leaned against a house and waited till the attack was
over. During these attacks, whose intensity was most variable, she
had visions; frequently also, especially during the attacks where she
turned extremely pale, she "wandered"; or as she expressed it, lost
her body, and got away to distant places whither her spirits led her.
Distant journeys during ecstasy strained her exceedingly; she was
often exhausted for hours after, and many times complained that the
spirits had again deprived her of much power, such overstrain was now
too much for her; the spirits must get another medium, etc. Once she
was hysterically blind for half an hour after one of these ecstasies.
Her gait was hesitating, feeling her way; she had to be led; she did
not see the candle which was on the table. The pupils reacted. Visions
occurred in great numbers without proper "lapses" (designating by this
word only the higher grade of distraction of attention). At first the
visions only occurred at the beginning of the sleep. Once after S. W.
had gone to bed the room became lighted up, and out of the general foggy
light there appeared white glittering figures. They were throughout
concealed in white veil-like robes, the women had a head-covering like
a turban, and a girdle. Afterwards (according to the statements of S.
W.), "the spirits were already there" when she went to bed. Finally she
also saw the figures in bright daylight, though still somewhat blurred
and only for a short time, provided there were no proper lapses, in
which case the figures became solid enough to take hold of. But S. W.
always preferred darkness. According to her account the content of the
vision was for the most part of a pleasant kind.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account