The unconscious : $b The fundamentals of human personality, normal and abnormalPrince, Morton
Science
The unconscious : $b The fundamentals of human personality, normal and abnormal
Prince, Morton
Psychology, Pathological; Subconsciousness
Observation shows that the experiences of _trance states_ and allied
conditions are similarly conserved. Fanny S., as the result of an
emotional shock, due to a distressing piece of news, goes into a
trance-like state of which she has no memory afterwards. Later, a
recollection of this supposedly unconscious state, including the content
of her trance thoughts and the sayings and doings of those about her, is
recovered by a special device. B. C. A. likewise fell into a trance of
which there was no recollection. The whole incident was equally fully
recovered in a crystal vision, and also conscious memory of it brought
back to personal consciousness by a special technic. In the vision she
saw herself apparently unconscious, the various people about her each
performing his part in the episode; the doctor administering a
hypodermic dose of medicine, etc. In hypnosis she remembered in addition
the thoughts of the trance consciousness and the various remarks made by
different people in attendance.
Even _delirious states_ for which there is complete amnesia may be
conserved. I have observed numerous instances of this in the case of
Miss B. For instance, the delirious acts occurring in the course of
pneumonia were reproduced in a crystal vision by Miss B. and the
delirious thoughts as well were remembered by the secondary personality,
Sally.[42] I have records of several examples of conservation of
delirium in this case. Quite interesting was the repetition of the same
delirium due to ether narcosis in succeeding states of narcosis as
frequently happened. A very curious phenomenon of the same order was the
following: After the subject had been etherized a number of times I
adopted the ruse of pretending to etherize one of the secondary
personalities, using the customary inhaler but without ether. The
efficient factor was, of course, suggestion. The subject would, at least
apparently, become unconscious, passing into a state which had all the
superficial appearances of deep etherization. At the end of the
procedure she would slowly return to consciousness, repeat the same
stereotyped expletives and other expressions which she regularly made
use of when ether was actually used, and make the same grimaces and
signs of discomfort, etc. This behavior would seem to indicate that the
mental and physical experiences originally induced by a physical agent
were conserved and later reproduced under imaginary conditions.
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