Sex, Drugs, and
Psychoanalysis:
A Brief Recapitulation of
Thirty Years
in the Life of Sigmund Freud
by
Nathan Underhile and Nick
Underwood
FLIESCHL ABRAHAM
FLIESS ID
ECKSTEIN SUPEREGO
SCENE: FREUD’s office
[FREUD enters, sits down at desk, mixes cocaine with glass of water, drinks entire glass, lights cigar, and begins writing]
FREUD: Dearest Martha, I have recently been reading about cocaine, the essential constituent of coca leaves, which some Indian tribes chew to enable to resist privations, and hardships. I have procured some myself, and believe it may be useful in the treatment of heart disease, nervous exhaustion, indigestion problems, and I feel it may be an antithesis to morphine and might work to cure the addicted. I have just myself taken an offering of this magical drug, and it is beginning to take its effect. I feel as if my current depression is lifting, and my bad mood, has turned into blissful cheerfulness. Woe to you, my Princess, when I come. I will kiss you quite red and feed you till you are plump. And if you are disobedient, you shall see who is the stronger, a gentle, little girl, who doesn’t eat enough, or a big, wild man, who has cocaine in his body. In my last severe depression, I took cocaine again, and a small dose lifted me to the heights, in a wonderful fashion. I am just now busy collecting the literature for a song of praise to this magical substance. If I am successful with this endeavor, we may soon be married and living in Vienna together. I am sending you some of this magical drug, so that you may share in my bliss. Your Sigmund.
[Enter FLIESCHL]
FREUD: Good morning, Ernst. To what might I owe the pleasure of being visited by one of Creation’s precious achievements, this beautiful day?
FLIESCHL: Sigmund, I desperately need your assistance.
FREUD: Well, what can I help you with, good friend? I was just starting my daily Sanskrit lessons, but that can be postponed for now, however, please don’t tell Martha about the lessons, I wish to surprise her. You being the fine quality of gentleman you are, Ernst, could indubitably make Martha a wonderful husband, but why shouldn’t I, for once, have more than I deserve? Martha remains my own, you can’t have her!
FLIESCHL: Oh, Sigmund, you need not fear of my stealing your precious Martha away from you. Unfortunately, my lovely fiancée of twelve years has abandoned me because of my ailment and subsequent treatments. This excruciating pain of my thumb has impaired me to the point that I feel I can no longer practice medicine any more. I have found solace in morphine and only in morphine. It has become, [pause] quite precious to me. The warm flow of morphine through my veins, is the only lover I am able to copulate with any more.
FREUD: This is very troubling news. However, I do have some good news for you. My current research endeavors are in the medical uses of cocaine. I firmly believe that, morphine and cocaine are dire enemies of one another. The only way for you to overcome this dastardly addiction of yours, is to combat it with cocaine. Yes, I believe this will lift your spirits, and begin you upon your return path to a fully functioning life.
[FREUD hands FLIESCHL a vial of cocaine]
FLIESCHL: Thank you, Sigmund. I am already beginning to see a ray of light, shining from the darkness that my wretched, painful life has become.
FREUD: I would recommend taking 50 milligrams in a one percent aqueous solution, every one to two hours, so that the doses overlap. I must also warn you, or perhaps mention, my apprehension of the intravenous injections of this drug. I fear addiction may be possible, when frequently used in this manner.
[FLIESCHL exits, enter FLIESS]
FLIESS: I see you’ve failed in your promise to me, to quit smoking, Dr. Freud.
FREUD: Wilhelm! Please stop being so formal. We have been in correspondence long enough to abandon our formal modes of address, call me by my Christian name.
FLIESS: Don’t you perhaps mean Jewish name?
FREUD: Oy Vey! I simply cannot work without my cigars. So what do I owe the pleasure of your company, dear friend?
FLIESS: I wanted to talk about sex.
FREUD: If you mean to discuss Martha and myself, [prepares cocaine mixture and hands FLIESS the glass], I am afraid you may be more than a little disappointed, as I often am.
FLIESS: [laughs, then sips glass] No, I don’t wish to intrude on that aspect, at least, not yet. I do, however, wish to further discuss your seduction theory.
FREUD: Behind neurosis there stands a perversion, separated by a generation and expressing itself as abuse of the child who will years later become neurotic. As to whom these perverted abusers of the child might have been, adult strangers, nursemaids and other care-givers, and other children are the obvious culprits.
FLIESS: What about the fathers?
FREUD: Well, of course, fathers may indeed be the clear ones to blame, but I don’t wish for those ideas of mine to become public just yet, the outrage in response to that idea would be far too volatile at this time.
FLIESS: Now, by seduction, do you mean to say that the child isn’t merely passively abused, but may be moved to cooperate in these sexual perversions, through the act of, seduction? Children have no sexual desires or needs.
FREUD: Perhaps that is not so, perhaps there is indeed a sexual aspect of children, refused to be believed by society, but existing within the unconscious of all of us.
FLIESS: And how do you go about, curing these neuroses?
FREUD: I was originally taught to treat these hysterics with hypnosis. First, by telling their symptoms to simply go away, then my colleague, Breuer, discovered that by going back to the root of the hysteric’s problem, the subsequent neurosis could be cured.
FLIESS: And how successful were you, by utilizing these methods?
FREUD: Unfortunately, I was never quite adept at the whole hypnosis business. I kept trying, however, the attempts were continuously futile, and I was forced to abandon hypnosis for free association. By simply encouraging the hysteric to further delve into the past, I was able to uncover what had been repressed, typically memories of child-hood sexual encounters.
FLIESS: And from these sexual encounters, neuroses? Yes, that makes perfect sense, however, there may be additional explanations.
FREUD: So what does an ear, nose, and throat doctor have to contribute to the causes of mental illnesses?
FLIESS: By the utilization of, certain dysfunctional sexual practices, for example, the use of condoms, masturbation, and of course, coitus interruptus, one damages the nervous system, which in turn, dislocates certain genital spots in the body.
FREUD: And where might one find these, genital spots?
FLIESS: They can be located all over the body, however, the most numerous and most important, can be found, in the nose.
FREUD: The nose? And how did you arrive at such a conclusion?
FLIESS: Pure logic, my friend. See, the nasal septum is made of erectile tissue like that of the genitals and the nipples, and no other part of the body. The turbinal bones swell during menstruation and during sexual arousal.
FREUD: So how do you intend to treat these, genital spots?
FLIESS: Elementary, Sigmund, through the application of cocaine, cauterization, or surgery.
FREUD: And what do you call this theory of yours?
FLIESS: Nasal reflex neurosis.
FREUD: Brilliant! Your kind should not die out, my dear friend, the rest of us need people like you too much. How much I owe you; solace, understanding, stimulation in my loneliness, meaning to my life that I gained through you, and finally, even health that no one else could have given back to me. It is primarily through your example that intellectually, I gained the strength to trust my judgment. For all that, accept my humble thanks! I know that you do not need me as much as I need you, but I also know that I have a secure place in your affection.
FLIESS: I am afraid I must leave you, seeing as I have appointments to keep. Next time we meet, me must discuss my theory of how all people are bisexual in nature, also I might have a look at your genital spots?
FREUD: I will be anxiously counting the moments until our next intercourse, good day.
[FLIESS exits, ECKSTEIN enters]
FREUD: Miss Eckstein, you are a full hour early for you scheduled appointment.
ECKSTEIN: Dr. Freud! [screams] I can’t bear it any more! [screams] My memory is failing me! My stomach is causing me so much pain, I can’t function normally! I’m having severe menstrual problems.
FREUD: Please calm down, Miss Eckstein. Have a seat, and we’ll see what’s the matter.
[ECKSTEIN sits down and FREUD begins examining her nose]
FREUD: Aha, I see that your genital spots are indeed disrupted!
ECKSTEIN: What does that mean, doctor? Am I going to die? I’m dying, aren’t I?
FREUD: Don’t be silly, have you been masturbating?
ECKSTEIN: Well, actually I have, constantly it seems.
FREUD: Fliess was correct! Masturbation has disrupted your genital spots and then passed on to your stomach and then uterus, hence the menstrual problems. I will call on my good friend, Dr. Wilhelm Fliess immediately, he will know what to do about this problem of yours. For now, take this cocaine, and apply liberally through the nasal passages [gives ECKSTEIN vial of cocaine, ECKSTEIN snorts some]
ECKSTEIN: Amazing, Dr. Freud! I’m beginning to feel better already.
[FLIESS enters]
FLIESS: I seem to have forgot, er, my medication.
FREUD: Dr. Fliess, how convenient of you to have come back so soon, Miss Eckstein will be most grateful!
FLIESS: Yes, what can I do to assist you, doctor?
FREUD: Miss Eckstein here, has developed nasal reflex neurosis from masturbation. I noticed disrupted genital spots in her nose, perhaps you could take a look at her?
FLIESS: Of course! [examines ECKSTEIN’s nose] Yes, your diagnosis was correct, Dr. Freud. I recommend surgery immediately. Dr. Freud! Bring me a scalpel and lots of cocaine, stat!
FREUD: Yes, immediately! [fetches scalpel and cocaine vial]
[FLIESS snorts cocaine, throws vial to the ground and begins operating]
FLIESS: I am now finished. Madam, you should be back to normal in a matter of weeks. And for God’s sake woman, stop masturbating!
ECKSTEIN: Thank you, doctors, I will.
[FLIESS and ECKSTEIN exit]
FREUD: I can’t wait to tell Martha about this episode.
[FLIESCHL enters]
FLIESCHL: Snakes! White snakes! [constantly brushing his arms and legs] They’re all over me! Sigmund, you have to get rid of these damned snakes!
FREUD: Ernst! Get a hold of yourself! You’re delusional, there aren’t any snakes, can’t you see that?
FLIESCHL: You don’t know what you’re talking about, you damn fool! The snakes are everywhere!
FREUD: Have you been using morphine again, Ernst?
FLIESCHL: No, just two grams of cocaine a day, intravenous. Get off me you stupid snakes! Yeah, it definitely helped me kick that morphine habit, snakes!
FREUD: Two grams! Intravenous! I warned you about injections. Oh, you poor man, you must go see Breuer immediately!
[FLIESCHL runs out flailing his arms, ECKSTEIN enters]
ECKSTEIN: [holding nose] Dr. Freud, help me!
FREUD: Calm down, child. What seems to be the problem? What is that horrible smell?
[ECKSTEIN reveals nose, covered in blood and pus]
FREUD: Oh my G…[faints]
ECKSTEIN: [grabs nose and begins running in circles around FREUD] Someone, anyone, help me!
[FLIESCHL enters, flailing his arms running around FREUD]
ECKSTEIN: Can you help me?
FLIESCHL: Snakes, everywhere!
[FREUD wakes and stand up]
FREUD: Emma! Sit down, now! Ernst, go see Breuer, he will know how to deal with these snakes of yours!
[ECKSTEIN sits down, FLIESCHL exits]
FREUD: Now let’s examine that nose of yours. [looks at nose] Ah, this seems to be the problem. [begins slowly pulling gauze out of ECKSTEIN’s nose] There, dear, you can end you hysterics and regain your composure.
ECKSTEIN: Thank you doctor. I vow to be your faithful disciple the rest of my life, and to write a book preaching about the perils of masturbation.
FREUD: Now that’s a good girl, good day, Emma.
ECKSTEIN: Good day, doctor.
[FLIESS enters]
FLIESS: Hello, Miss Eckstein, Miss Eckstein?
[ECKSTEIN exits]
FLIESS: How disrespectful!
FREUD: Oh, don’t mind her, you simply left a meter of gauze in her nose, which became infected, and quite the source of annoyance for the young lady.
FLIESS: How careless of me, what could I have been thinking?
FREUD: Not to worry, good friend. I have come to the conclusion that Miss Eckstein’s hemorrhages are actually a symbolic representation of her unconscious sexual longing for myself, and an attempt to seduce me.
FLIESS: Guess it’s a good thing I showed up when I did, wouldn’t want Martha getting jealous, would we?
FREUD: She’s likely more jealous of our relationship. Which has got me thinking, I have begun to notice the recurrence of a strong streak of homosexuality in every neurotic, which has led me to think of the possibility that perhaps we are all inherently bisexual. What do you think of this idea, Wilhelm?
FLIESS: That’s my idea, you plagiarizing fool!
FREUD: You can’t take out a patent on ideas!
[FLIESS exits, FREUD falls asleep at desk, ID and SUPEREGO enter]
SUPEREGO: You’ve been stealing coats from the lecture hall again, haven’t you, Dr. Freud?
[FREUD gets up]
FREUD: Stealing coats, what on earth are you blathering about?
ID: It’s all about sex.
FREUD: Sex? What sex? Sex with whom?
ID: Sex with anyone that’s all that matters.
SUPEREGO: That’s not all that matters, you primitive fool! What would society say about having sex with anyone and everyone?
ID: Screw society! I’m all that matters, feed me, drug me, screw me, pleasure me!
FREUD: Well, using that logic, you’ll be dead before daybreak, you’ve got to be smart about these sort of, er, indiscretions.
SUPEREGO: Yes, listen to the man. You’ve got to follow the rules of society.
FREUD: Well you’re a rather dull fellow aren’t you, what about having a little fun, and sex by my account, is more than just a little fun.
ID: Yeah, you lousy do-gooder!
FREUD: Listen, you fellows are both right. There is nothing wrong with pleasure, after all, if pleasure weren’t fun, it wouldn’t be pleasure, however, one can’t just dismiss the rules of society, you’ll end up locked up or dead, not much pleasure in that as far as I can tell. We’ve got to come to a compromise, that way, we can all be happy.
[FREUD puts head back down]
ID: As long as I get laid.
SUPEREGO: And I don’t offend anyone.
ID: See, he agrees with me, told you I was right!
SUPEREGO: No, he agrees with me, you ape!
[ID and SUPEREGO exit, FREUD wakes up]
FREUD: I am absolutely finished with cocaine!
[JUNG and ABRAHAM enter]
ABRAHAM: Dr. Freud, Jung and I were debating the utility of Wundt’s methodology and were curious what your thoughts were on the matter.
FREUD: I would like to pose that as analogous to Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso, where the head of a giant is smitten off, but he remains too busy to notice, and goes on fighting. Wundtian psychology is rather like that giant. We cannot help thinking that the old psychology has been killed by my dream doctrine, but the old psychology is quite unaware of the fact and goes on teaching as usual.
ABRAHAM: Brilliant, Sigmund, absolutely brilliant. Wouldn’t you agree, Jung?
JUNG: A bit presumptuous, but I agree, mostly.
ABRAHAM: Presumptuous? What are you implying, Jung?
FREUD: Speaking of presumptuous, the other day I was walking down the street and a man walked up to me and asked me, are you Dr. Freud, I replied, the one and only, and he said, then let me tell you what a dirty-minded, filthy, old man you are. I, in turn, could do nothing but smile and walk away.
JUNG: I admire your tactfulness in that situation. Indeed we are all pioneers of the controversial plains of psychoanalysis, and will be persecuted for our beliefs, much in the same way early Christians were persecuted by the Romans.
ABRAHAM: Why does everything come back to religion with you, Jung?
FREUD: Religious analogies can be useful, for whoever has acquired a knowledge of psychoanalysis has eaten of the tree of Paradise and attained vision. Jung, you have imparted your personal leaven to the fermenting brew of my ideas.
JUNG: Am I not to have any ideas of my own, only to add leaven to your ideas?
ABRAHAM: Psychoanalysis is Freud’s brainchild, we are mere disciples to this ultimate knowledge.
[A loud noise]
JUNG: There, that is an example of a so-called catalytic exteriorization phenomenon!
FREUD: Oh come on, that is sheer nonsense.
JUNG: It is not, you are mistaken, Herr Professor. And, to prove my point, I now predict that in a moment, there will be another loud report!
[A loud noise]
JUNG: See! I was correct, hidden forces are indeed at work!
ABRAHAM: Ridiculous! Those noises came from the ancient timbers of the bookshelves, which are known to be prone to the occasionally creaking. No meta-physical explanation is needed here. You are lucky to be a gentile, Jung, it was your only hope of garnishing such affection and tolerance from Herr Professor! Your mystical explanation here is nearly as ridiculous as your theory that dementia praecox is produced by some sort of psycho-toxin which results in a deterioration of the brain!
JUNG: Because of your materialistic prejudice you reject an entire complex of questions with such shallow positivism!
FREUD: It has been my belief that dementia praecox is due, not to any destruction of the intellectual capacities, but to a massive blocking of the feeling process.
ABRAHAM: I could not agree more, Professor.
JUNG: No, the symptoms produced by hysterogenic affect are different from those of dementia praecox. We must, therefore, assume the origin of dementia praecox is quite different from that of hysteria.
FREUD: How would these, psycho-toxins relate to sex, then?
JUNG: Perhaps the [sarcastically] sex glands are the makers of the toxins.
FREUD: I see, come now, let us have a drink together.
JUNG: I am sorry, but I do not drink, I find it to be detestable.
FREUD: Oh, come now, just one drink, it will all be in good fun.
ABRAHAM: Yes, Carl, just one drink.
JUNG: Well, I suppose so.
[JUNG, ABRAHAM, and FREUD begin drinking]
FREUD: At last! This is how things should be. Together, in agreement, as a family should be, a father proud of his remarkable children.
JUNG: Oh, I think the wine is going to my head a little. Which reminds me, I had recently been reading about the peat-bog corpses.
FREUD: Why are you so concerned with corpses?
JUNG: Well, in northern Germany, there are these peat-bogs. Inside these peat-bogs there are bodies of prehistoric men who either drowned in the marshes or were buried there.
FREUD: Why are you so concerned with these corpses?
JUNG: The bog water contains humic acid which simultaneously tanned the skin of any corpse to a mummified toughness while…
FREUD: Why are you so concerned with these corpses?
JUNG: …eating away the bones and preserving the hair, absolutely amazing.
FREUD: Why are you so concerned with these corpses?
[FREUD faints]
ABRAHAM: See what you’ve done now, Jung, you’ve made the Professor faint!
JUNG and ABRAHAM: Professor, are you alright?
[FREUD wakes]
JUNG: What happened?
FREUD: I was convinced all this chatter about corpses meant you had a death wish towards me.
JUNG: Why should I want you to die, Professor. I have branded myself identified with you, I have so much more to learn from you.
FREUD: As a boy, I had often wished my baby brother Julius dead, and when at the age of one year and seven months, the boy did die, it has left me with a terrible sense of guilt.
ABRAHAM: [whispering to FREUD] Perhaps Jung wishes for the death of the Father in order to replace him.
FREUD: Don’t be ridiculous, Jung will forever remain in the fold.
JUNG: Professor, perhaps an analysis of your most recent dreams could shed light on this fainting episode.
FREUD: I recently had a dream about, no I shouldn’t
JUNG and ABRAHAM: No, please tell more.
FREUD: Well, in my dream was a triangle, and at each point of the triangle was myself, my wife, and my sister-in-law, Minna.
JUNG: Yes?
FREUD: I can’t tell you more, I cannot risk my authority.
JUNG: [whispering to ABRAHAM] He had an affair with his sister-in-law.
ABRAHAM: That is positively ludicrous.
JUNG: Since the Professor doesn’t want to risk his authority, I have recently had an interesting dream I wish to discuss.
ABRAHAM and FREUD: Go on.
JUNG: I was taken to a strange house with two stories, which, despite its unfamiliarity, was my own house. I was placed in the top floor and then moved down to the ground floor. This part of the house was older, with medieval furnishing, floors of red brick and furniture out of the fifteenth century. Fumbling in the darkness, I moved from floor to floor, thinking that I absolutely must explore the entire house. I then came upon a heavy door and opened it. Beyond it, I discovered a stone stairway that led down into a cellar. Descending again, I found myself in a beautifully vaulted room which looked exceedingly ancient. Layers of brick among the stone blocks told me that this must date from Roman times, and now my interest became intense as I scrutinized the stone slabs of the floor until, as if guided by an unseen hand, I found an iron ring in one of the slabs. Heaving at the ring, the stone slab shifted, and now my excitement knew no bounds as I saw stretching away into an even more Stygian darkness, a flight of stone steps. Feeling my way down into the darkness I entered a low cave cut in the solid rock, and there, in the thick dust on the floor, were scattered bones and broken pottery from a a very primitive culture, with, focusing my attention beyond anything else, two human skulls, half-disintegrated. The dream then came to an abrupt end, and I suddenly awoke.
FREUD: And what do you believe, was your wish, [gesturing as if his hands held a skull] connected to the two skulls?
JUNG: [long pause] The death of my wife and sister-in-law?
FREUD: Ah, that makes sense. [appearing relieved] Are you looking forward to our trip to America? Won’t they get a surprise when they hear what we have to say to them!
JUNG: How ambitious you are.
FREUD: Me? I’m the most humble of men, and the only man who isn’t ambitious!
JUNG: That’s a big thing, to be the only one.
ABRAHAM: Professor, I have recently been working with a patient, male, who has developed a severe case of agoraphobia. I believe it has developed because of an overwhelming desire for support, from a stern, patriarchal father. What can we do about it?
FREUD: Why, kill the father, of course!
[JUNG, ABRAHAM, and FREUD exit, laughing hysterically]
[JUNG, ABRAHAM, and FREUD enter]
ABRAHAM: So how was your voyage to America?
FREUD: Absolutely terrible. American cooking has left my stomach permanently disturbed and I was seriously put out by the utter lack of public lavatories in America, which made my prostatic trouble more acute. Those people cannot even understand each other properly! America is a mistake, a gigantic mistake, it is true, but none the less, a mistake.
ABRAHAM: And were things any more accommodating for you, Jung?
JUNG: Indeed they were, I met a great psychiatrist by the name of Morton Prince, he has developed quite a following for his study of a girl with multiple personalities.
FREUD: Prince is a hypocrite, you should not associate with his kind.
JUNG: He has simply toned down your sexual theory so as to gain more acceptance with the public.
FREUD: Unnecessary concessions to the enemy! Prince is rather stupid, let us no longer speak of him!
[FREUD grabs JUNG by the shoulder]
FREUD: My dear Jung, promise me never to abandon the sexual theory. That is the most essential thing of all. You see, we must make a dogma of it, and unshakeable bulwark.
JUNG: A bulwark, [pause] a bulwark against, what?
FREUD: Against the black tide of mud, [pause] of occultism!
JUNG: Dear Freud, you have always made much of your irreligiosity and have now constructed a dogma, or rather, in place of a jealous God, Yahweh, whom you have lost, you have substituted another compelling image, that of sexuality.
FREUD: Nonsense, another ridiculous attempt of yours to misconstrue my ideas into that of some sort of religion!
JUNG: Nonsense? Nonsense is your rigid idea that the libido is something solely sexual. The libido is so much more than sexual energy, it is, in fact, spiritual energy.
FREUD: You seem to be accepting the ridiculous ideas of Prince. Diluting my ideas by omitting sexual themes, to make them more acceptable to the condescending public! You know that religion, is a neurotic illness that solely arose from the Oedipus complex! And your current view of the incest complex seems, at this time, to be along the lines of Adler!
JUNG: Not even Adler’s companions think that I belong to your group, er, I mean, their group. Besides, the themes of religion are not simply a result of the Oedipal complex. The deeply entrenched symbolism involved in religion, mythology, and astrology represent unconscious archetypes that are present in all of us.
FREUD: You’ve been spending entirely too much time on this astrology nonsense.
JUNG: Yes, I have recently been knee-deep in the calculating of astrological charts for my patients. I find them to be useful tools for personality measurements, and a possible clue to the core of psychological truths.
FREUD: But what of your reputation? You will be forever mired by the scientific community if word of this gets out. This could be very bad for psychoanalysis. And why have you not even mentioned my name in your recent articles on the truths of psychoanalysis?
JUNG: What need is there? It is common knowledge that you are the unquestioned originator of the entire psychoanalytical movement. There should be no need to any longer mention your name in historical recapitulations.
ABRAHAM: Blasphemy!
[FREUD faints]
JUNG and ABRAHAM: Professor!
[JUNG attends to FREUD]
FREUD: How
sweet it must be to die. [hugs JUNG]
[JUNG exits]
ABRAHAM: Professor, what is the matter?
FREUD: There is some piece of unruly homosexual feeling at the root of the matter. I recall, as a boy, spending the night with my mother, seeing her naked, and having sexual wishes about her. The intense mother fixation, I have found, is often a pre-requisite for many homosexuals. I thought I had sublimated these homosexual tendencies to enlarge my ego, but this heated debate with Jung has uncovered them.
ABRAHAM: We must be rid of Jung, then.
FREUD: No, Jung is crazy, but I have no desire for a separation, and should like to let him wreck himself first.
ABRAHAM: Wreck himself? It won’t be long.
[JUNG enters]
FREUD: I am deeply sorry about that fainting spell, a bit of neurosis, I suppose, that I really ought to look into.
JUNG: This bit of neurosis, of yours, in my opinion, should be taken seriously indeed, because, as experience shows, it leads to the semblance of a voluntary death. I have suffered from this, a bit, in my dealings with you, though, you haven’t seen it, and didn’t understand me properly when I tried to make my position clear. It is evident that you underestimate my work by a very wide margin.
FREUD: I see, without intending it, you have solved the riddle of all mysticism, showing it to be based on the symbolic utilization of complexes that have outlived their function.
JUNG: That statement shows me that you deprive yourself of the possibility of understanding my work, by your underestimation of it. As for your bit of neurosis, may I draw your attention to the fact that you open The Interpretation of Dreams, with the mournful admission of your own neurosis, the dream of Irma’s injection, identification with the neurotic in need of treatment. Very significant. Remember, you said, you could not submit to further analysis without losing your authority. These words have been engraved in my memory as a symbol of everything to come.
FREUD: Don’t be overly dramatic! I venture to disagree, most emphatically, you have not, as you suppose, been injured by my neurosis.
JUNG: You go around, sniffing out all the symptomatic actions in your vicinity, thus reducing everyone to the level of sons and daughters who blushingly admit the existence of their faults. Meanwhile, you remain on the top, as the father, sitting pretty. Nobody dares to pluck the prophet by the beard and inquire, for once, what you would say to a patient with a tendency to analyze the analyst instead of himself. You would certainly ask him, who’s got the neurosis? So as long as you hand out this stuff, I don’t give a damn for my symptomatic actions, they shrink to nothing in comparison with the formidable beam in my brother Freud’s eye. I am not in the least neurotic. You know, of course, how far a patient gets with self-analysis, not out of his neurosis, that’s for damned sure, just like you. If ever you should rid yourself entirely of your complexes, and stop playing the father to your sons, and instead of continually aiming at their weak spots, took a good look at your own, for a change, then I will mend my ways. Do you love neurotics enough to be always at one with yourself?
FREUD: It is a convention, among us analysts, that none of us need feel ashamed of his own bit of neurosis. But, one who while behaving abnormally, keeps shouting that he is normal, gives ground for the suspicion that he lacks insight in his illness. I propose that we abandon our personal relations entirely. I shall lose nothing by it, for my only emotional tie with you, has been a thin thread, the lingering effect of past disappointments. I therefore say, take your full freedom and spare me your supposed tokens of friendship.
JUNG: I accede to your wish that we abandon our personal relations, for I never thrust my friendship on anyone. How fitting is it that you, yourself are a Taurus, Professor, for Mithrais has once again slain the bull.
[JUNG exits]
ABRAHAM: Did you have any idea, Professor, that you had chosen as your heir, a man who could neither tolerate, nor wield authority, and whose energies were relentlessly devoted to furtherance of his own interests?
FREUD: It matters not, I cannot suppress a cheer. So we are at last rid of them, the brutal, sanctimonious Jung, and his disciples.
THE END