REMEMBER, REPEAT, REWORK
Sigmund Freud (1914)
Summary:
We find it important to continually remind students of the significant changes that psychoanalytic technique has undergone ov er
time. In the beginning, during the phase of Breuerian catharsis, the focus was on the symptoms and sought to reproduce the
psychic processes of the original situation to allow their conscious discharge.
Then, with the renunciation of hypnosis, attention shifted to the interpretation of the patient's free occurrences in order to discover
what the patient refused to remember. The aim was to overcome resistance through interpretation, keeping the focus on th e
situations that gave rise to the symptoms.
Later, the current technique was established, where the doctor studies the psychic surface of the patient in each session and uses
interpretation to discern and make resistances conscious. This way of working allows the doctor to discover the resistances
unknown to the patient, which makes it easier for the patient to narrate the forgotten situations once the resistances have been
overcome.
Although the goal of these techniques remains the same, i.e., to fill in the gaps of memory and overcome the resistance of
repression, the approach and methodology have evolved significantly. We are grateful to the ancient hypnotic technique for having
exhibited certain psychic processes of analysis, which has allowed us to develop and maintain the complexity of analytic healing in
a more transparent way.
In those hypnotic treatments, the process of remembering was much simpler: the patient was transported to a previous situatio n
and communicated the psychic processes of that situation to where they remained normal, adding what might arise by making the
previously unconscious processes conscious.
The forgetting of impressions and experiences is usually due to a blockage rather than a true loss. Patients often regret not
remembering enough details that they might consider forgotten, especially in cases of conversion hysteria, where cover-up
memories play a crucial role in preserving essential elements of childhood.
In addition, internal psychic processes such as fantasies, reference processes, and affective movements must be analyzed
separately in relation to forgetting and recall. Often, something is "remembered" that was never conscious, which does not
necessarily affect the course of the analysis, since the patient's conviction is independent of these memories.
In obsessive neuroses, forgetting tends to involve dissolution of connections, ignorance of consequences, and isolation of
memories. For significant childhood experiences that were not understood at the time and emerge later with delayed
interpretations, it is often impossible to evoke a direct memory; Instead, dreams and the very structure of neurosis can provide
convincing clues.
This topic requires a careful and specific critical approach, reserved for discussion with appropriate materials that can rev eal new
and surprising perspectives on memory and its role in psychoanalytic analysis.
When we apply the new psychoanalytic technique, we often find that the patient does not consciously remember what has been
forgotten or repressed but acts it out without being aware of it. For example, he may not remember to challenge his parents'
authority, but he shows similar resistance in front of the doctor. This repetition of patterns also manifests itself in sexual themes
and the associated shame, showing how the patient acts unconsciously instead of consciously remembering these events.
This compulsion to repeat is especially noticeable at the beginning of treatment when the patient seems blocked from
communicating his or her thoughts. This initial difficulty is nothing more than a manifestation of the underlying resistance, which
seeks to avoid the process of remembering. This repetition is not just limited to the relationship with the doctor but affects all
areas of the patient's life during treatment.
It is crucial to understand how this compulsion to repeat relates to transference and resistance. The transference itself becomes a
form of repetition of the forgotten past, affecting not only the relationship with the doctor, but all of the patient's pers onal
interactions. The intensity of the resistance largely determines whether the patient will remember or act repetitively. If th e initial
transference is positive and gentle, similar to hypnosis, it facilitates deep recall and remission of pathological symptoms. However,
if it becomes hostile or intense, resistance increases and the patient resorts to acting instead of remembering.
1
Made by MatyBuda
Sigmund Freud (1914)
Summary:
We find it important to continually remind students of the significant changes that psychoanalytic technique has undergone ov er
time. In the beginning, during the phase of Breuerian catharsis, the focus was on the symptoms and sought to reproduce the
psychic processes of the original situation to allow their conscious discharge.
Then, with the renunciation of hypnosis, attention shifted to the interpretation of the patient's free occurrences in order to discover
what the patient refused to remember. The aim was to overcome resistance through interpretation, keeping the focus on th e
situations that gave rise to the symptoms.
Later, the current technique was established, where the doctor studies the psychic surface of the patient in each session and uses
interpretation to discern and make resistances conscious. This way of working allows the doctor to discover the resistances
unknown to the patient, which makes it easier for the patient to narrate the forgotten situations once the resistances have been
overcome.
Although the goal of these techniques remains the same, i.e., to fill in the gaps of memory and overcome the resistance of
repression, the approach and methodology have evolved significantly. We are grateful to the ancient hypnotic technique for having
exhibited certain psychic processes of analysis, which has allowed us to develop and maintain the complexity of analytic healing in
a more transparent way.
In those hypnotic treatments, the process of remembering was much simpler: the patient was transported to a previous situatio n
and communicated the psychic processes of that situation to where they remained normal, adding what might arise by making the
previously unconscious processes conscious.
The forgetting of impressions and experiences is usually due to a blockage rather than a true loss. Patients often regret not
remembering enough details that they might consider forgotten, especially in cases of conversion hysteria, where cover-up
memories play a crucial role in preserving essential elements of childhood.
In addition, internal psychic processes such as fantasies, reference processes, and affective movements must be analyzed
separately in relation to forgetting and recall. Often, something is "remembered" that was never conscious, which does not
necessarily affect the course of the analysis, since the patient's conviction is independent of these memories.
In obsessive neuroses, forgetting tends to involve dissolution of connections, ignorance of consequences, and isolation of
memories. For significant childhood experiences that were not understood at the time and emerge later with delayed
interpretations, it is often impossible to evoke a direct memory; Instead, dreams and the very structure of neurosis can provide
convincing clues.
This topic requires a careful and specific critical approach, reserved for discussion with appropriate materials that can rev eal new
and surprising perspectives on memory and its role in psychoanalytic analysis.
When we apply the new psychoanalytic technique, we often find that the patient does not consciously remember what has been
forgotten or repressed but acts it out without being aware of it. For example, he may not remember to challenge his parents'
authority, but he shows similar resistance in front of the doctor. This repetition of patterns also manifests itself in sexual themes
and the associated shame, showing how the patient acts unconsciously instead of consciously remembering these events.
This compulsion to repeat is especially noticeable at the beginning of treatment when the patient seems blocked from
communicating his or her thoughts. This initial difficulty is nothing more than a manifestation of the underlying resistance, which
seeks to avoid the process of remembering. This repetition is not just limited to the relationship with the doctor but affects all
areas of the patient's life during treatment.
It is crucial to understand how this compulsion to repeat relates to transference and resistance. The transference itself becomes a
form of repetition of the forgotten past, affecting not only the relationship with the doctor, but all of the patient's pers onal
interactions. The intensity of the resistance largely determines whether the patient will remember or act repetitively. If th e initial
transference is positive and gentle, similar to hypnosis, it facilitates deep recall and remission of pathological symptoms. However,
if it becomes hostile or intense, resistance increases and the patient resorts to acting instead of remembering.
1
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