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Summary of 'II. Case Histories (1. Miss Anna O.)' by Breuer and Freud
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Summary, explanation and conclusion of the main ideas of the text 'II. Case Histories (1. Miss Anna O.)' by Breuer and Freud.
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II. MEDICAL RECORDS (1. MISS ANNA O.)Josef Breuer – Sigmund Freud (1893–1895)
Summary:
Miss Anna O., 21 years old when she contracted the disease in 1880, appears to have a moderate neuropathic predisposition. He
has a compassionate character and great intelligence but lacks sexual development and love experience. His monotonous life and
habit of cultivating daydreaming may have contributed to his illness. The disease cycle is divided into several phases:
A. Latent incubation: From mid-July 1880 to December 10.
B. Manifest contraction of the disease: With symptoms such as paralysis, peculiar psychosis, visual disturbances, among others.
C. Period of persistent somnambulism: Alternating with more normal states until December 1881.
D. Progressive diminution of symptoms until June 1882.
In July 1880, the patient's father, whom she loved deeply, became seriously ill and died in April 1881. Anna, devoted to her father's
care during his illness, began to experience disconcerting physical and mental symptoms. He developed a variety of neurological
problems, including headaches, convergent strabismus, and visual disturbances. In addition, he suffered from language disorders,
temporary mutism, and drastic changes in his state of consciousness, alternating between periods of lucidity and hallucinations.
After her father's death, she experienced a deep emotional shock that exacerbated her symptoms. Despite this, his ability to
communicate in different languages and his writing prowess showed signs of a still-lucid mind at specific times of the day. However,
his condition continued to deteriorate, manifesting suicidal impulses and increasingly intense hallucinations. Eventually, she was
moved to a country house near Vienna, where she experienced moments of calm after facing her greatest fears. Despite the
challenges, his diet improved, and he showed remarkable physical endurance.
Before describing the continuation of the story, it is necessary to point out a peculiarity of the case which has hitherto been
mentioned only superficially. It was observed that the patient experienced drowsiness during naps, which turned into a deep sleep
towards sunset, referred to as "clouds". This sleep pattern seemed to stem from the circumstances surrounding the care of his
ailing father, during which he would spend sleepless nights and rest during the day.
During these episodes of drowsiness, the patient would repeat the word "martyr" while restless. In addition, during her moments
of daytime absence, she would mumble key words that were then used to induce storytelling in her, initially in a paraphasic dialect
and then in fluent German.
These stories, usually sad, seemed to provide him with some emotional relief. After narrating them, the patient woke up calmly.
However, after his father's death, these stories became more tragic, coinciding with a worsening of his psychic state and the
emergence of fearful hallucinations. Despite this, the declaration of these hallucinations provided him with some emotional relief
and stabilized his psychic state.
In the camp, where he could not visit the sick woman daily, the treatment was conducted in a specific way. The narrator came at
dusk, when the patient was in a state of hypnosis, to remove all the thoughts and ghosts that had accumulated since her last visit.
This had to be done thoroughly to achieve successful results.
After this operation, the patient was completely calm and the next day she showed a friendly, docile, and even cheerful attitude.
However, in the following days, his behaviour became increasingly capricious, stubborn, and obnoxious, peaking on the third day.
In this state, even during hypnosis, it was difficult to get her to speak, although she herself had invented the term "talking cure" to
refer to the process of deposition.
On nights when the patient was unable to reassure herself through the declaration, chloral was used. Although this provided
temporary relief, it also generated a prolonged and unpleasant drunkenness in the narrator's absence.
Despite the overall improvement in her physical and mental state, the patient experienced fluctuations in her mood, especially
when considerable time had passed since the last statement. This was due to the persistence of psychic stimuli derived from his
experiences and hallucinations.
The story details how the patient experienced shifts in consciousness between two different states, reliving situations from the
past in an intense and specific way. These changes became more apparent as the day progressed, affecting their perception of the
environment and their interaction with it.
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