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W D Jeffrey

Publications and source records attributed to W D Jeffrey.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

"Lazarus stand forth" H. D. encounters Freud.

H.D., the noted writer Hilda Doolittle, wrote three differing accounts of her first analytic session with Freud, held on March 1, 1933. The first account was written on the same day as her session in a letter to her friend Bryher; it indicates that Freud did not meet H. D.'s preformed transference expectation. Although H. D. focused on her fear of Freud's rejection, her deeper concern was her disappointment in Freud and her fear of loving a person who might die soon. In 1944, five years after Freud's death, H. D. wrote a second account of the session in "Tribute to Freud" in which she attempted to recall an idealized memory of Freud. To do this her description split the session into a part in which she projected her anger onto Freud and a part in which she reconciled with Freud in a mystical, wordless communication by means of her relation to his dog, Yofi. Her third account, "Advent," was written in 1948, following a period of psychosis. At that time H. D. was able to acknowledge that she had been frightened of loving a man who was vulnerable to death and to restore Freud's presence by identifying with this analytic ability.

Austria↗
PubMed1995

The Yiddish theatre, the Oklahoma theatre and Kafka's salvation.

The author discusses Kafka's enthralment with the Yiddish theatre, which performed in Prague in the autumn and winter of 1911. Examination of Kafka's 'Diaries' suggests that an important factor in this response was his infatuation with two actresses. They evoked fantasies of avoiding oedipal conflict by surrendering adult male sexuality and its threat of castration by regressing to a prephallic relationship with a maternal woman who would provide a nurturing relationship. Later, when writing the final chapter of his novel 'Amerika' in 1914, he creatively expressed a derivation of this fantasy when the protagonist, Karl Rossman, achieved a sort of salvation by joining the Oklahoma theatre. In the final year of his life Kafka was able to leave home to live with a woman, and in this achievement he fulfilled aspects of this fantasy.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Mental illness complicated by the santeria belief in spirit possession.

Santeria, a religious system that blends African and Catholic beliefs, is practiced by many Cuban Americans. One aspect of this system is the belief in spirit possession. Basic santeria beliefs and rituals, including the fiesta santera (a gathering at which some participants may become possessed), are briefly described, and four cases in which the patients' belief in possession played a role in their mental illness are presented. The belief in possession can complicate the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness, but it should not be considered a culture-bound syndrome. Rather, it may be a nonspecific symptom of a variety of mental illnesses and should be evaluated in the context of the patient's overall belief system and ability to carry out usual activities.

Adult↗