Talking cure
Encyclopedia
The Talking Cure was a term originally offered, along with "chimney sweep", by Dr. Josef Breuer
's patient Bertha Pappenheim
(written about in Studies on Hysteria
in 1893 as Anna O.
) to describe the talking therapy that relieved her of her hysterical symptoms. 'On one occasion she related the details of the first appearance of a particular symptom and, to Breuer's great astonishment, this resulted in its complete disappearance'. As Lacan
later put it, 'the more Anna provided signifiers
, the more she chattered on, the better it went'.
. 'Breuer rightly claimed a quarter of a century later that his treatment of Bertha Pappenheim contained "the germ cell of the whole of psychoanalysis"'.
The term "talking cure" was later adopted by Dr. Sigmund Freud
to describe the fundamental work of psychoanalysis
, and in fact he referred to it, as well as the Anna O. case study, in North America in his Lectures on Psychoanalysis at Clark University
, Worcester, MA, in September 1909: 'The patient herself, who, strange to say, could at this time only speak and understand English, christened this novel kind of treatment the "talking cure" or used to refer to it jokingly as "chimney-sweeping"'.
The 'Talking Cure' is a phrase is now used more widely by a variety of Talking Therapies
. 'The talking cure is now more than a century old, and...it has taken that century for the talking cure to spawn "the writing cure
"'.
Irene Gammell, Confessional Politics (1999)
Josef Breuer
Josef Breuer was an Austrian physician whose works laid the foundation of psychoanalysis.Born in Vienna, his father, Leopold Breuer, taught religion in Vienna's Jewish community. Breuer's mother died when he was quite young, and he was raised by his maternal grandmother and educated by his father...
's patient Bertha Pappenheim
Bertha Pappenheim
Bertha Pappenheim was an Austrian-Jewish feminist, a social pioneer, and the founder of the Jüdischer Frauenbund .- Youth :...
(written about in Studies on Hysteria
Studies on Hysteria
Studies on Hysteria was a book published in 1895 by Sigmund Freud and Josef Breuer. It contained a number of Breuer and Freud's case studies of "hysterics". It included one of their most famous cases, Breuer's Anna O. , which introduced the technique of psychoanalysis as a form of cure...
in 1893 as Anna O.
Anna O.
Anna O. was the pseudonym of a patient of Josef Breuer, who published her case study in his book Studies on Hysteria, written in collaboration with Sigmund Freud. Her real name was Bertha Pappenheim , an Austrian-Jewish feminist and the founder of the Jüdischer Frauenbund .Anna O...
) to describe the talking therapy that relieved her of her hysterical symptoms. 'On one occasion she related the details of the first appearance of a particular symptom and, to Breuer's great astonishment, this resulted in its complete disappearance'. As Lacan
Lacan
Lacan is surname of:* Jacques Lacan , French psychoanalyst and psychiatrist** The Seminars of Jacques Lacan** From Bakunin to Lacan: Anti-Authoritarianism and the Dislocation of Power, a book on political philosophy by Saul Newman** Lacan at the Scene* Judith Miller, née Lacan...
later put it, 'the more Anna provided signifiers
Sign (linguistics)
There are many models of the linguistic sign . A classic model is the one by the Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure. According to him, language is made up of signs and every sign has two sides : the signifier , the "shape" of a word, its phonic component, i.e...
, the more she chattered on, the better it went'.
Development
Bertha's symptoms - 'headaches, intervals of excitement, curious disturbances of vision, partial paralyses and loss of sensation' - which had no organic origin and are currently referred to as somatoform disorders, were found to ameliorate once repressed trauma and their related emotions were expressed, a process later called catharsisCatharsis
Catharsis or katharsis is a Greek word meaning "cleansing" or "purging". It is derived from the verb καθαίρειν, kathairein, "to purify, purge," and it is related to the adjective καθαρός, katharos, "pure or clean."-Dramatic uses:...
. 'Breuer rightly claimed a quarter of a century later that his treatment of Bertha Pappenheim contained "the germ cell of the whole of psychoanalysis"'.
The term "talking cure" was later adopted by Dr. Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud , born Sigismund Schlomo Freud , was an Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis...
to describe the fundamental work of psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis is a psychological theory developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud. Psychoanalysis has expanded, been criticized and developed in different directions, mostly by some of Freud's former students, such as Alfred Adler and Carl Gustav...
, and in fact he referred to it, as well as the Anna O. case study, in North America in his Lectures on Psychoanalysis at Clark University
Clark University
Clark University is a private research university and liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts.Founded in 1887, it is the oldest educational institution founded as an all-graduate university. Clark now also educates undergraduates...
, Worcester, MA, in September 1909: 'The patient herself, who, strange to say, could at this time only speak and understand English, christened this novel kind of treatment the "talking cure" or used to refer to it jokingly as "chimney-sweeping"'.
The 'Talking Cure' is a phrase is now used more widely by a variety of Talking Therapies
Talking therapies
Talking therapies is the generic name for the range of psychotherapies. It is a derivative of the talking cure, although less related to one therapy alone, it is a term that does cover psychoanalysis, cognitive behavioural therapy and counselling or counselling psychology approaches.- History...
. 'The talking cure is now more than a century old, and...it has taken that century for the talking cure to spawn "the writing cure
Writing therapy
Writing therapy is a form of expressive therapy that uses the act of writing and processing the written word as therapy. Writing therapy posits that writing one's feelings gradually eases pain and strengthens the immune system...
"'.
Criticism
'Psychoanalytically, what appears as a "talking cure" may well be a placebo, or at best a deeply craved, addictive painkiller'.Further Reading
Terence W. Campbell, Beware the Talking Cure (1994)Irene Gammell, Confessional Politics (1999)