FREUD: The Origin and Development of Psychoanalysis

First Lecture

• Freud credits Dr. Breuer as the creator of psychoanalysis.
• Freud worked in conjunction with Dr. Breuer to cure an hysterical woman. The woman had symptoms that included paralysis, limited vision, and durations of confusion and dissociation. The symptoms had no obvious cause.
• Freud and Dr. Breuer used hypnosis to aid in the woman’s recovery of distressful memories surrounding the death of her father. Freud concluded that the woman, and all hysterical patients, suffered from reminiscences. The woman’s symptoms serve as memory symbols, like war memorials serve as reminders of the bravery of the soldiers who fought in a war.