The development of the phantasies during the attacks. Many cases are known in the literature where the pathological lying comes on in attacks and during serious hysterical trouble.[1]
Our patent develops her systems exclusively in the attack. In her normal state she is quite incapable of giving any new ideas or explanations; she must either transpose herself into somnambulism or await its spontaneous appearance. This exhausts the affinity to pseudologia phantastica and to pathological dream states.
Our patient’s state is even differentiated from pathological dreaming since it could never be proved that her dreamweavings had at any time previously been the objects of her interest during the day. Her dreams occur explosively, break forth with bewildering completeness from the darkness of the unconscious. Exactly the same was the case in Flournoy’s Helen Smith. In many cases (see below), however, links with the perceptions of the normal states can be demonstrated: it seems therefore probable that the roots of every dream were originally images with an emotional accentuation, which, however, only occupied waking consciousness for a short time.[2] We must allow that in the origin of such dreams hysterical forgetfulness[3] plays a part not to be underestimated.
Many images are buried which would be sufficient to put the consciousness on guard; associated classes of ideas
- ↑ Delbrück, l.c., and Redlich, l.c. Cf. the development of delusions in epileptic stupor mentioned by Mörchen, “Essay on Stupor,” pp. 51 and 59, 1901.
- ↑ Cf. Flournoy’s very interesting supposition as to the origin of the Hindu cycle of H.S.: “Je ne serais pas étonné que la remarque de Martes sur la beauté des femmes du Kanara ait été le clou, l’atome crochu, qui a piqué l’attention subliminale et l’a très naturellement rivée sur cette unique passage avec les deux ou trois lignes consécutives, à l’exclusion de tout le contexte environnant beaucoup moins intérressant” (L.c., p. 285).
- ↑ Janet says, “From forgetfulness there arises frequently, even if not invariably, the so-called lying of hysteria. The same explanation holds good of an hysteric’s whims, changes of mood, ingratitude—in a word, of his inconstancy. The link between the past and present which gives to the whole personality its seriousness and poise, depends to a large extent upon memory” (“Mental States,” etc., p. 67).
