Freud Completenting Gilman’s Thoughts
Doctors of the new times would generally have an answer for almost every ailment, but what if they did not? Though it was once a situation with patients who suffered from hysteria. Sigmund Freud, the ‘father’ of psychoanalysis, often spoke about Breuer and other doctors having different views on patients with hysteria and how many seemed to care alot less for the patients; this is further supported by “The Yellow Wallpaper,” by Gilman, Charlotte Perkins.
Sigmund Freud always had a different view of hysterical patients from most doctors. In his first lecture, Freud said, “He does not have the same sympathy for the former as for the latter: for the hysteric’s aliment is in fact far less serious and yet it seems to claim to be regarded equally so.” (Freud 2201). From what Freud said, he thought most doctors who had dealt with hysteric patients tend to put them on the backburner of their minds, as they are not deemed as important as those with organic diseases. What Freud mentioned is not wrong because most doctors did not understand hysteria, so they kicked it to the curbside.
This way of thinking is further built by Gilman, author of “Why I Wrote ‘The Yellow Wallpaper.’” Gilman, a patient who suffered from hysteria, was ordered to stay inside and do absolutely nothing in hopes of treating her hysteria; this was the “rest cure.” Gilman said, “I went home and obeyed those directions for some three months, and came so near the borderline of utter mental ruin that I could see over.” (1913). This shows that Gilman, who was ‘treated’ for hysteria with the “rest cure,” almost went into madness because of said treatment. This shows how doctors of the time who were or were not well versed in the subject often gave the patients the rotten end of the stick when it came down to treatments. In addition, in the story “The Yellow Wallpaper,” The narrator who suffered from hysteria was given the same cure that Gilman received the “rest cure.” Though not as fortunate as Gilman herself, the narrator of The Yellow Wallpaper has fallen entirely into her hysteria. To the point of no return, the narrator did not want to leave the room, she did not like those outside her window, and she could not even recognize her own husband. All of this sprung about due to her husband’s questionable approach to solving her problem, the rest cure.
Though Freud disagreed with the approach of many doctors, he agreed with one person, Josef Breuer; Sigmund Freud held Breuer on a higher pedestal than everyone else. As Freud talks about other doctors in his first lecture, he says, “He cannot understand hysteria… He regards them as people who are transgressing the laws of his science… He attributes every kind of wickedness to them” (Freud 2201). As seen above, doctors ignorant of the field do not blame themselves but rather the patient. The patients were ‘wicked’ and ‘trespassers’ of science, which is an outlandish way of thinking. Freud may be bashing these few doctors, but he was respectful towards Breuer; Freud said, “Dr.Breuer’s attitude towards his patient deserved no such reproach. He gave her both sympathy and interest, even though, to begin with, he did not know how to help her.” (Freud 2202). Dr.Breuer was a doctor who truly wanted to help those who suffered from hysteria. His passion for helping never faltered, even when he knew not of the subject; he treated them as humans, even when they transgressed laws of science. Freud saw Breuer as a proper doctor who would not shy away from the unknown.
Through the many texts provided, It can be seen that Freud’s view of the doctors of hysteria is both complacent and benevolent. Also, how his views are aligned with those of other people, such being Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Though Freud was not actually the first person who studied hysterical patients, he and Breuer were the most diligent with the subject, treating the unknown with curiosity and sympathy; they were able to become doctors who made true leaps and bounds in the treatment of hysteria.
Sources:
Freud, Sigmund. Five Lectures on Psycho-Analysis. W.W. Norton & Co, Inc., 1961. Semantic Scholar.
Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. “The Yellow Wallpaper.” New England Magazine, May 1891, pp.647-656.
Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. “Why I Wrote ‘The Yellow Wallpaper.’” The Forerunner, Oct.1913.
