6TH AND 9TH LECTURES (93-4, 135)
Sigmund Freud (1916)
Summary:
For those who wish to delve deeper into this topic, I must warn you that my two premises do not carry the same weight. The first,
that sleep is a mental phenomenon, is the crucial point that we seek to demonstrate with our work. The second premise has
already been validated in another context, and here we apply it freely.
Where was the proof found that there is a knowledge of which man is not conscious, as we have supposed in the case of the
dreamer? This proof was found in the realm of hypnotic phenomena. During a demonstration in 1889 in Nancy, I witnessed
individuals in a state of sleepwalking recall events that they initially denied remembering. This phenomenon suggests that, like the
hypnotized, the dreamer may have unconscious knowledge about his own dreams.
They are likely to be surprised to confirm this fact and ask me why I did not use this test sooner, especially in the case of failed
trades. If someone does not remember certain experiences, but the memory is present within them, then it is also possible that
they are not aware of other internal mental processes. This argument would certainly have been useful in understanding failed
trades. However, I reserved this evidence for another more appropriate time.
Failed operations, in part, are self-explanatory, but they also indicate the existence of unknown mental processes. In the dream,
we are forced to look for additional explanations, and I trust that they will readily accept the transfer of knowledge gained from
hypnosis.
It is important to highlight another result of this research. The hidden desires that arise in dreams are not conscious to us until we
interpret the dream; therefore, we must regard them as unconscious for the time being. But they are likely to be permanently
unconscious. This discovery changes our conception of the unconscious, suggesting that there are processes and tendencies that
one has never been aware of and perhaps never will be. This new understanding of the unconscious eliminates the notion of
temporality, suggesting that something can be permanently unconscious and not just temporarily latent. There will undoubtedly
be more discussions on this topic in the future.
Explanation and conclusion:
The sections of these lectures focus on two fundamental premises of Freud about sleep and the unconscious. First, Freud states
that the dream is a mental phenomenon that he seeks to demonstrate through his work. Second, he suggests that there is an
unconscious knowledge of which the individual is not aware, a concept that he transfers from the hypnotic realm to the study of
dreams.
Freud presents evidence observed during hypnotic demonstrations in Nancy in 1889. Here, sleepwalking individuals initially denied
remembering experiences lived during the hypnotic trance. However, at the insistence of the hypnotist, they began to recover
these memories gradually and completely. Freud interprets this phenomenon as evidence that individuals may possess
unconscious knowledge about their own mental states, including dreams.
The text also addresses the application of this concept to the analysis of failed operations and hidden desires revealed in dreams.
Freud argues that these desires, unknown to the dreamer while asleep, become conscious only through dream interpretation. This
phenomenon suggests the existence of hidden mental processes of which one is not aware, changing the understanding of the
unconscious as something temporarily latent to something potentially permanent and inaccessible.
In conclusion, Freud states that both the dream and the hypnotic state reveal complex mental phenomena that challenge the
traditional notion of consciousness and conscious knowledge. The discovery of unconscious insights suggests that the human mind
operates with more complex levels of consciousness and internal processes than previously assumed, opening up new avenues for
understanding the human psyche and behavior.
Main ideas:
- The dream is a mental phenomenon that Freud seeks to demonstrate through his work.
- There is an unconscious knowledge of which the individual is not aware.
- The proof of this unconscious knowledge is found in hypnotic demonstrations observed by Freud in 1889.
1
Made by MatyBuda
Sigmund Freud (1916)
Summary:
For those who wish to delve deeper into this topic, I must warn you that my two premises do not carry the same weight. The first,
that sleep is a mental phenomenon, is the crucial point that we seek to demonstrate with our work. The second premise has
already been validated in another context, and here we apply it freely.
Where was the proof found that there is a knowledge of which man is not conscious, as we have supposed in the case of the
dreamer? This proof was found in the realm of hypnotic phenomena. During a demonstration in 1889 in Nancy, I witnessed
individuals in a state of sleepwalking recall events that they initially denied remembering. This phenomenon suggests that, like the
hypnotized, the dreamer may have unconscious knowledge about his own dreams.
They are likely to be surprised to confirm this fact and ask me why I did not use this test sooner, especially in the case of failed
trades. If someone does not remember certain experiences, but the memory is present within them, then it is also possible that
they are not aware of other internal mental processes. This argument would certainly have been useful in understanding failed
trades. However, I reserved this evidence for another more appropriate time.
Failed operations, in part, are self-explanatory, but they also indicate the existence of unknown mental processes. In the dream,
we are forced to look for additional explanations, and I trust that they will readily accept the transfer of knowledge gained from
hypnosis.
It is important to highlight another result of this research. The hidden desires that arise in dreams are not conscious to us until we
interpret the dream; therefore, we must regard them as unconscious for the time being. But they are likely to be permanently
unconscious. This discovery changes our conception of the unconscious, suggesting that there are processes and tendencies that
one has never been aware of and perhaps never will be. This new understanding of the unconscious eliminates the notion of
temporality, suggesting that something can be permanently unconscious and not just temporarily latent. There will undoubtedly
be more discussions on this topic in the future.
Explanation and conclusion:
The sections of these lectures focus on two fundamental premises of Freud about sleep and the unconscious. First, Freud states
that the dream is a mental phenomenon that he seeks to demonstrate through his work. Second, he suggests that there is an
unconscious knowledge of which the individual is not aware, a concept that he transfers from the hypnotic realm to the study of
dreams.
Freud presents evidence observed during hypnotic demonstrations in Nancy in 1889. Here, sleepwalking individuals initially denied
remembering experiences lived during the hypnotic trance. However, at the insistence of the hypnotist, they began to recover
these memories gradually and completely. Freud interprets this phenomenon as evidence that individuals may possess
unconscious knowledge about their own mental states, including dreams.
The text also addresses the application of this concept to the analysis of failed operations and hidden desires revealed in dreams.
Freud argues that these desires, unknown to the dreamer while asleep, become conscious only through dream interpretation. This
phenomenon suggests the existence of hidden mental processes of which one is not aware, changing the understanding of the
unconscious as something temporarily latent to something potentially permanent and inaccessible.
In conclusion, Freud states that both the dream and the hypnotic state reveal complex mental phenomena that challenge the
traditional notion of consciousness and conscious knowledge. The discovery of unconscious insights suggests that the human mind
operates with more complex levels of consciousness and internal processes than previously assumed, opening up new avenues for
understanding the human psyche and behavior.
Main ideas:
- The dream is a mental phenomenon that Freud seeks to demonstrate through his work.
- There is an unconscious knowledge of which the individual is not aware.
- The proof of this unconscious knowledge is found in hypnotic demonstrations observed by Freud in 1889.
1
Made by MatyBuda
