Who coined the term “cathartic therapy”?
· Invented by German physician Franz Mesmer, the treatment involves a mixture of hypnosis and “animal magnetism” in order to cure a woman of her hysterical behaviour. Mesmer identified a fluid within the body, of which he named “animal magnetism.”
How was hysteria treated in the 19th century?
· For more on the 19th-century treatment of hysteria, read The Road to Wellville by T.C. Boyle or see the movie. Unfortunately for doctors, hysteria treatment had …
What are the best books on Charcot and hysteria?
CATHARTIC METHOD The so-called "cathartic method" was a treatment for psychiatric disorders developed during 1881-1882 by Joseph Breuer with his patient "Anna O." The aim was to enable the hypnotized patient to recollect the traumatic event at the root of a particular symptom and thereby eliminate the associated pathogenic memory through "catharsis."
What are the treatment options for hysteria?
Catharsis (from Greek ... (1842–1925), who developed a cathartic method of treatment using hypnosis for persons suffering from intensive hysteria. While under hypnosis, Breuer's patients were able to recall traumatic experiences, ...
Who developed the cathartic method?
physician Josef BreuerThe Viennese physician Josef Breuer (1842-1925) has a unique and prominent place in the history of psychotherapy. From 1880-82, while treating a patient known as Anna O., Breuer developed the cathartic method, or talking cure, for treating nervous disorders.
How did Freud treat hysteria?
According to Breuer, the treatment process should include hypnosis and cathartic. Freud appreciated the method of hypnosis and cathartic techniques as tools for understanding hysteria. However, he asserts that although cathartic session heals some of the symptoms, this treatment is temporary.
Which psychologist focused on patients with hysteria?
Hysteria can be considered as the first signifi- cant clinical topic studied by Freud, and it really introduced him into the field of psychology. In- deed, before his 1885–1886 stay with Jean-Martin Charcot at La Salpêtrière, Freud was mainly a neuropathologist with scarce clinical experience.
What did Freud and Breuer do?
Breuer and Freud collaborated to publish a preliminary report on the cathartic method, “On the Psychic Mechanisms of Hysterical Phenomena.” Two years later, Breuer and Freud collaborated on the book Studies on Hysteria, which would become a foundation of the practice of psychoanalysis.
Who discovered hysteria?
Hippocrates (5th century BC) is the first to use the term hysteria. Indeed he also believes that the cause of this disease lies in the movement of the uterus (“hysteron”) [2-4].
Who did Freud diagnosed with hysteria?
DoraDora is the pseudonym given by Sigmund Freud to a patient whom he diagnosed with hysteria, and treated for about eleven weeks in 1900. Her most manifest hysterical symptom was aphonia, or loss of voice.
Who taught Freud the hypnotic technique for treating hysteria?
1 Freud's Life and Writings After three years of medical practice at the General Hospital in Vienna, Freud received an appointment as lecturer in neuropathology. A period spent at the Salpêtrière in Paris exposed Freud to the French neurologist Jean Charcot's use of hypnotherapy to treat mental disorder.
What technique did Sigmund Freud use to treat his patients?
Psychoanalytic therapy is a form of talk therapy based on Sigmund Freud's theories of psychoanalysis. The approach explores how the unconscious mind influences your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
Who is Bertha Pappenheim?
Bertha Pappenheim founded the Jewish feminist movement in 1904 and led it for twenty years, remaining on its board of directors until her death in 1936. She introduced German-Jewish women to beliefs and issues raised by feminism.
How did Josef Breuer treat hysterical paralysis?
6 Breuer used hypnosis during treatment sessions, but he found that allowing Pappenheim to talk freely about whatever came into her mind was often a good way to improve communication. Freud himself once described Anna O.
How did Josef Breuer treat Anna O and relate this method of treatment to Freud's psychoanalysis theory?
Her doctor (and Freud's teacher) Josef Breuer succeeded in treating Anna by helping her to recall forgotten memories of traumatic events. During discussions with her, it became apparent that she had developed a fear of drinking when a dog she hated drank from her glass.
Did Breuer treat Nietzsche?
After further convincing by Salomé back in Vienna, Breuer agrees to take on Nietzsche as his patient and explore talking as the treatment of his despair.
What did Freud believe about hysterical symptoms?
After ten years of this practice, Freud came to believe that behind every hysterical symptom, such as convulsions, paralysis, blindness, epilepsy, amnesia or pain, lay a hidden trauma or series of traumas.
How did Freud treat his patients?
Freud believed that people could be cured by making conscious their unconscious thoughts and motivations, thus gaining insight. Treatment focuses on bringing the repressed conflict to consciousness, where the client can deal with it.
What did Freud propose was the underpinning reason for hysteria?
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.
What are treatments for hysteria?
Before physicians used medical vibrators for pelvic massage, hydrotherapy, or water therapy, was one of the first technological advancements in treating hysteria and a precursor to medical vibrating massagers.
What was the treatment for hysteria in the 1800s?
Invented by German physician Franz Mesmer, the treatment involves a mixture of hypnosis and “animal magnetism” in order to cure a woman of her hysterical behaviour. Mesmer identified a fluid within the body, of which he named “animal magnetism.”.
What did Charcot believe about epileptics?
Charcot also believed that the body contained “hysterogenic zones,” that when touched would activate spasms or convulsions (Collini). For women, “hysterogenic zones” near the ovaries were especially sensitive ...
What was the hysterogenic zone?
For women, “hysterogenic zones” near the ovaries were especially sensitive areas for convulsions and tremors (Alvarado, 27). There were various other forms of treatment during this era, including prescribing laudanum, an alcoholic solution containing morphine, and even horseback riding and train trips (Saul, 52).
What does Tasca believe about the magnetic force of the hands?
He believed that the magnetic action of the hands upon the diseased part of the body could treat the patient by interacting with the fluid (Tasca et al., 114) Basically, his theory suggests that the body gives off some sort of invisible force that can be manipulated to cure people of illness.
Is hysteria an illness of the uterus?
Almost every form of treatment somehow relates to the maternal roles that women play. E ven Charcot, who openly notes that hysteria is not an illness of the uterus, believes that a woman’s ovaries are still sensitive “hysterogenic zones.”.
Who is the father of neurology?
French neurologist, Jean-Martin Charcot, who is considered to be the father of neurology, studied a variety of patients with hysteria at the Salpetriere hospital (Ross, 277).
Did doctors believe that pleasure had anything to do with it?
In fact, doctors did not believe that pleasure had anything to do with it, as it was assumed that women were sexless creatures. If the doctor believed that the female was gaining pleasure out of the treatment, it was immediately stopped (Starr and Aron, 377).
What is the purpose of catharsis?
The purpose of catharsis is to bring about some form of positive change in the individual's life. Catharsis involves both a powerful emotional component in which strong feelings are felt and expressed, as well as a cognitive component in which the individual gains new insights.
Why is catharsis important?
Catharsis can play a role in helping people deal with difficult or painful emotions. This emotional release can also be an important therapeutic tool for coping with fear, depression, and anxiety. If you are coping with difficult emotions, talking to a mental health professional can help you to explore different techniques that can lead to catharsis.
What is the best therapy for anxiety?
The Best Types of Therapy to Treat Anxiety. In their book Studies on Hysteria, Freud and Breuer defined catharsis as "the process of reducing or eliminating a complex by recalling it to conscious awareness and allowing it to be expressed.". 3 Catharsis still plays a role today in Freudian psychoanalysis.
What was Freud's theory of unconsciousness?
The unconscious mind played a critical role in Freud’s theory. While the contents of the unconscious were out of awareness, he still believed that they continued to exert an influence on behavior and functioning. Freud believed that people could achieve catharsis by bringing these unconscious feelings and memories to light. This process involved using psychotherapeutic tools such as dream interpretation and free association.
What is therapeutic use?
Therapeutic Uses. In Everyday Language. Examples. A catharsis is an emotional release. According to psychoanalytic theory, this emotional release is linked to a need to relieve unconscious conflicts. For example, experiencing stress over a work-related situation may cause feelings of frustration and tension.
How did Breuer help his patients?
His treatment involved having patients recall traumatic experiences while under hypnosis. By consciously expressing emotions that had been long repressed, Breuer found that his patients experienced relief from their symptoms.
What does the word "catharsis" mean?
The Meaning of Catharsis. The term itself comes from the Greek katharsis meaning "purification" or "cleansing.". The term is used in therapy as well as in literature. The hero of a novel might experience an emotional catharsis that leads to some sort of restoration or renewal.
Who was the first person to use hypnosis to treat hysteria?
During the late 1800s, hysteria came to be viewed as a psychological disorder. French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot utilized hypnosis to treat women suffering from hysteria. 2
What is hysteria diagnosed with?
Today, those exhibiting hysterical symptoms might be diagnosed with a dissociative disorder or a somatic symptom disorder. Hysteria can be defined as a feature of some conditions that involve people experiencing physical symptoms that have a psychological cause.
What is the DSM 5?
In the most recent update of the DSM, the DSM-5, symptoms that were once labeled under the broad umbrella of hysteria fit under what is now referred to as somatic symptom disorder. 4 There are several related conditions:
What is hysteria in medical terms?
Hysteria is a term used to describe emotional excess, but it was also once a common medical diagnosis. In layman's terms, hysteria is often used to describe emotionally charged behavior that seems excessive and out of control.
What is dissociative disorder?
Dissociative disorders are psychological disorders that involve an interruption (a dissociation) in aspects of consciousness, including identity and memory. These types of disorders include dissociative fugue, dissociative identity disorder, and dissociative amnesia.
What are the symptoms of hysteria?
Symptoms of hysteria included partial paralysis, hallucinations, and nervousness. Other symptoms often ascribed to hysteria include:
What did Freud's work with Josef Breuer lead to?
It was Freud's work with colleague Josef Breuer on the case of Anna O., a young woman experiencing the symptoms of hysteria, that helped lead to the development of psychoanalytic therapy . Anna had found that simply talking about her problems with her therapist had a major impact on her well-being.
Who discovered the method of hysteria?
The German physician Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815) found in suggestion a method of treatment for his patients suffering from hysteria, practicing both group and individual treatments. He identified in the body a fluid called "animal magnetism" and his method soon became famous as "mesmerism".
When was hysteria first described?
Abstract. Hysteria is undoubtedly the first mental disorder attributable to women, accurately described in the second millennium BC, and until Freud considered an exclusively female disease. Over 4000 years of history, this disease was considered from two perspectives: scientific and demonological. It was cured with herbs, sex or sexual abstinence, ...
What is the difference between hysteria and epilepsy?
He emphasizes the difference between the compulsive movements of epilepsy, caused by a disorder of the brain, and those of hysteria due to the abnormal movements of the uterus in the body.
What is the Greek mythology of hysteria?
According to Greek mythology, the experience of hysteria was at the base of the birth of psychiatry.
What is Claudius Galen's theory of hysteria?
Claudius Galen’s theories on hysteria (2ndcentury AD) are comparable to those of Hippocrates . Furthermore Galen says of hysteria “Passio hysterica unum nomen est, varia tamen et innumera accidentia sub se comprehendit” (hysterical passion is the name, but various and several are its symptoms), highlighting the variety of hysterical events [7]. In his work In Hippocratis librum de humoribus, Galen criticizes Hippocrates: “Ancient physicians and philosophers have called this disease hysteriafrom the name of the uterus, that organ given by nature to women so that they might conceive [7]. I have examined many hysterical women, some stuporous, others with anxiety attacks [...]: the disease manifests itself with different symptoms, but always refers to the uterus”. Galen’s treatments for hysteria consisted in purges, administrations of hellebore, mint, laudanum, belladonna extract, valerian and other herbs, and also getting married or repressing stimuli that could excite a young woman [2,3,7].
What herbs did Galen use for hysteria?
Galen’s treatments for hysteria consisted in purges, administrations of hellebore, mint, laudanum, belladonna extract, valerian and other herbs, and also getting married or repressing stimuli that could excite a young woman [2,3,7].
What is the oldest medical document containing references to depressive syndromes?
In the Eber Papyrus (1600 BC) the oldest medical document containing references to depressive syndromes, traditional symptoms of hysteria were described as tonic- clonic seizures and the sense of suffocation and imminent death (Freud’s globus istericus).
Why did doctors tell wives to have hysterics?
Unfortunately, that probably didn't help too many wives, because modern sexuality research clearly shows that only about 25 percent of women experience orgasm consistently from intercourse.
Why do doctors call women's climaxes paroxysms?
They called them “paroxysms” because everyone knew that women were incapable of sexual feelings, so they could not possibly experience orgasm.
What was the role of paroxysm in the 19th century?
By the early 19th century, physician-assisted paroxysm was firmly entrenched in Europe and the U.S., and proved a financial godsend for many doctors. At the time, the public viewed physicians with tremendous distrust. Medicine was, at best, primitive. Most doctors had no scientific training.
What is the name of the syndrome that causes heaviness in the lower abdomen?
This syndrome became known as “hysteria,” from the Greek for uterus. Documented complaints of female hysteria date back to the 13th century.
What invention had nothing to do with women's pleasure?
The invention of the vibrator had nothing to do with women's pleasure. Mention vibrators and most people immediately think of women’s sexual pleasure. And no wonder: An estimated one-third of adult American women now own at least one.
What inventions did physicians use to make their hands?
Necessity being the mother of invention, physicians began experimenting with mechanical substitutes for their hands. They tried a number of genital massage contraptions, among them water-driven gadgets (the forerunners of today's shower massage devices), and pumping, steam-driven dildos.
Did genital massage help with hysteria?
And their standard treatment, bleeding, killed more people than it helped. But thanks to genital massage, hysteria was one of the few conditions that doctors could treat successfully, and it produced large numbers of grateful women who returned faithfully and regularly, eager to pay for additional treatment.
What is the cathartic method?
CATHARTIC METHOD. The so-called "cathartic method" was a treatment for psychiatric disorders developed during 1881-1882 by Joseph Breuer with his patient "Anna O.". The aim was to enable the hypnotized patient to recollect the traumatic event at the root of a particular symptom and thereby eliminate the associated pathogenic memory ...
Who wrote on the psychical mechanism of hysterical phenomena?
Freud, Sigmund. (1893a). On the psychical mechanism of hysterical phenomena: Preliminary communication. SE ,2.
What did Freud and Breuer do to the idea of catharsis?
Freud and Breuer filled out the notion of catharsis with the concept of "abreaction" — a quantity of affect that was linked to memory of a traumatic and pathogenic event that could not be evacuated through normal physical and organic processes as required by the "principle of constancy" and so, thus blocked ( eingeklemmt ), was redirected through somatic channels to become the process at the origin of the pathological symptoms (1893a).
What method did Freud use to treat Emmy von N?
Tired of poor results and of the monotony of hypnotic suggestion, by 1889 Freud appears to have decided, in treating Emmy von N., to employ "the cathartic method of J. Breuer.". But failure to regularly induce hypnotic states inclined him by 1892 to give up hypnosis, which his patient Elisabeth von R. disliked.
What is the cathartic effect of chimney sweeping?
The cathartic effect, linked to the emotional state that accompanied these fears, required the doctor to listen without actively seeking etiological clues. Anna O. aptly described this procedure, speaking seriously, as a "talking cure", while she referred to it jokingly as "chimney-sweeping" (1895d, p. 30).
What was Breuer's method?
Breuer's method little by little thus became an "analysis of the psyche" which prefigured "psychoanalysis," a term that first appeared in print in 1896. The technique would be developed progressively over the course of a dozen years.By 1907, when Freud undertook analysis of the "Rat Man," he no longer actively demanded that patients produce material, but asked only that they verbalize what spontaneously came to mind.
What is Freud's thesis?
Freud's thesis, according to which trauma at the root of displaced energy towards the soma is invariably sexual in nature, led to a rupture in his relationship with Breuer, but it also determined the future course of psychoanalysis. His explanation of the difficulties that patients experienced during treatment to defend themselves against pathogenic memories would come to be known as "resistance," while the concept of "transference" would emerge from his understanding of Breuer's sudden termination of Anna O., or the time that a patient, upon waking from hypnosis, threw her arms around his neck.
Who developed the cathartic method of treatment for intensive hysteria?
In psychology, the term was first employed by Sigmund Freud 's colleague Josef Breuer (1842–1925), who developed a cathartic method of treatment using hypnosis for persons suffering from intensive hysteria. While under hypnosis, Breuer's patients were able to recall traumatic experiences, and through the process of expressing the original emotions that had been repressed and forgotten, they were relieved of their hysteric symptoms. Catharsis was also central to Freud's concept of psychoanalysis, but he replaced hypnosis with free association.
Which theory of catharsis emphasizes emotion?
The theory of catharsis has a disarming affinity with the expressional theory, since it emphasizes emotion, asserts a change in emotion as a result of aesthetic operations, and concludes on a note of freedom in relation to the emotion. ^ Levin, Richard (2003).
What is catharsis in drama?
Catharsis is a term in dramatic art that describes the effect of tragedy (or comedy and quite possibly other artistic forms) principally on the audience (although some have speculated on characters in the drama as well). Nowhere does Aristotle explain the meaning of "catharsis" as he is using that term in the definition of tragedy in the Poetics (1449b21-28). G. F. Else argues that traditional, widely held interpretations of catharsis as "purification" or "purgation" have no basis in the text of the Poetics, but are derived from the use of catharsis in other Aristotelian and non-Aristotelian contexts. For this reason, a number of diverse interpretations of the meaning of this term have arisen. The term is often discussed along with Aristotle's concept of anagnorisis .
What is catharsis in Platonism?
In Platonism, catharsis is part of the soul’s progressive ascent to knowledge. It is a means to go beyond the senses and embrace the pure world of the intelligible. Specifically for the Neoplatonists Plotinus and Porphyry, catharsis is the elimination of passions. This leads to a clear distinction in the virtues.
What is the effect of catharsis in theatre?
There have been, for political or aesthetic reasons, deliberate attempts made to subvert the effect of catharsis in theatre. For example, Bertolt Brecht viewed catharsis as a pap (pabulum) for the bourgeois theatre audience, and designed dramas which left significant emotions unresolved, intending to force social action upon the audience. Brecht then identified the concept of catharsis with the notion of identification of the spectator, meaning a complete adhesion of the viewer to the dramatic actions and characters. Brecht reasoned that the absence of a cathartic resolution would require the audience to take political action in the real world, in order to fill the emotional gap they had experienced vicariously. This technique can be seen as early as his agit-prop play The Measures Taken, and is mostly the source of his invention of an epic theatre, based on a distancing effect (Verfremdungseffekt) between the viewer and the representation or portrayal of characters.
What is the term for the evacuation of the katamenia?
In his works prior to the Poetics, Aristotle had used the term catharsis purely in its literal medical sense (usually referring to the evacuation of the katamenia —the menstrual fluid or other reproductive material) from the patient. The Poetics, however, employs catharsis as a medical metaphor .
What is the purification of emotions?
The purification and purgation of emotions through art or any extreme change in emotion that results in renewal and restoration. For other uses, see Catharsis (disambiguation). Catharsis (from Greek κάθαρσις, katharsis, meaning "purification" or "cleansing" or "clarification") is the purification and purgation of emotions—particularly pity ...
The Meaning of Catharsis
Therapeutic Uses
- The term has been in use since the time of the Ancient Greeks, but it was Sigmund Freud's colleague Josef Breuer who was the first to use the term to describe a therapeutic technique.1 Breuer developed what he referred to as a "cathartic" treatment for hysteria. His treatment involved having patients recall traumatic experiences while under hypnosi...
in Everyday Language
- The term catharsis has also found a place in everyday language, often used to describe moments of insight or the experience of finding closure. An individual going through a divorce might describe experiencing a cathartic moment that helps bring them a sense of peace and helps that person move past the bad relationship. People also describe experiencing catharsis after experi…
Examples
- Catharsis can take place during the course of therapy, but it can also occur during other moments as well. Some examples of how catharsis might take place include: 1. Talking with a friend: A discussion with a friend about a problem you are facing might spark a moment of insight in which you are able to see how an event from earlier in your life might be contributing to your current pa…
A Word from Verywell
- Catharsis can play a role in helping people deal with difficult or painful emotions. This emotional release can also be an important therapeutic tool for coping with fear, depression, and anxiety. If you are coping with difficult emotions, talking to a mental health professional can help you to explore different techniques that can lead to catharsis.
Overview
Signs and symptoms
- When someone responds in a way that seems disproportionately emotional for the situation, they are often described as hysterical. During the Victorian era, the term was often used to refer to a host of symptoms that were generally observed only in women.
Appearance
- So what did hysteria look like? Symptoms of the illness included partial paralysis, hallucinations, and nervousness. The term is thought to originate from ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, who associated these symptoms with the movement of a woman's uterus throughout different locations in the body. Ancient thinkers believed that a woman's uterus could travel freely throug…
Influence
- One of Carl Jung's patients, a young woman named Sabina Spielrein, was also thought to suffer from the disorder. Jung and Freud often discussed Spielrein's case, which had an impact on the theories both men developed. Spielrein herself trained as a psychoanalyst and helped introduce the psychoanalytic approach in Russia before she was murdered by Nazi's during World War II.
Types
- Today, psychology recognizes different types of disorders that were historically known as hysteria including dissociative disorders and somatoform disorders. Dissociative disorders are psychological disorders that involve a dissociation or interruption in aspects of consciousness including identity and memory. These types of disorders include dissociative fug…
Symptoms
- Somatoform disorder is a class of psychological disorder that involves physical symptoms that do not have a physical cause. These symptoms usually mimic real diseases or injuries. Such disorders include conversion disorder, body dysmorphic disorder, and somatization disorder.
Diagnosis
- In 1980, the American Psychological Association changed their diagnosis of \"hysterical neurosis, conversion type\" to that of \"conversion disorder.\" In the recent publication of the DSM-5, symptoms that were once labeled under the broad umbrella of hysteria would fit under what is now referred to as somatic symptom disorder.