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Occultism and the Origins of Psychoanalysis: Freud, Ferenczi and the Challenge of Thought Transference — Occult Philosophy

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Occultism and the Origins of Psychoanalysis: Freud, Ferenczi and the Challenge of Thought Transference

Name: Occultism and the Origins of Psychoanalysis: Freud, Ferenczi and the Challenge of Thought Transference
Price: 180.00 USD
Availability: InStock
ISBN: 9781032159539

✍️ Maria Pierri, Adam Elgar

Reader Score

4.6

(1 review)

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📚 WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT

Maria Pierri's compelling work, "Occultism and the Origins of Psychoanalysis," meticulously uncovers how foundational psychoanalytic concepts, often attributed solely to scientific inquiry, actually emerged from an engagement with hypnosis and the esoteric. Through previously unexamined primary sources, she reveals Sigmund Freud's private fascination with telepathy and "thought-transmission," tracing its influence on his collaborations with figures like Sándor Ferenczi. This illuminating study demonstrates how these early investigations into psychic phenomena directly shaped theories of countertransference, unconscious communication, and the profound maternal-infant bond, offering a fresh perspective on the discipline's genesis.

Pierri, Maria; , Elgar, Adam

📚 all books by this author (4) →

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Occult Philosophy

Praise for this book

“This book gives back to contemporary psychoanalysis the pleasure of exploring really little-known territories, fascinatingly restoring the connection between the past, present and 'elsewhere' of communications between human beings, using the Freudian experience as its starting point, in order to reconsider in a reflective way the less visible, sometimes disorienting and mysterious levels of psychoanalytic practice.”

— Stefano Bolognini, past president of the IPA and the Italian Psychoanalytic Society

“Following the thread of thought-transference, Maria Pierri goes through the events of the Freudian endeavour starting from its roots in hypnosis and occultism, through the dialogue with the masters, the pupils and the great female patients, the leading actresses of the cure.”

— Luis J. Martin Cabré, training analyst, past president, Madrid Psychoanalytical Association

“Today we know much about the polyphonic complex of contexts, experiences, relationships and ideas which made psychoanalysis possible and still nourish its current debates. We can be very grateful to Maria Pierri for bringing us up to date with the role and meaning of some little-known aspects of Freud's life and work concerning occultism and the fascinating dialogue of the unconsciouses developed with Ferenczi: what…”

— Marco Conci, MC, IPA Committee on the History of Psychoanalysis

🏛 Routledge 📅 2022 📖 276 pages 📔 Hardcover ISBN: 9781032159539

Fun Fact

Pierri's "Occultism and the Origins of Psychoanalysis" is a meticulously researched and revelatory work that bravely re-examines the foundations of a cornerstone discipline. It excels at drawing clear, compelling links between Freud's private esoteric interests and his public psychoanalytic theories, utilizing fascinating, often new, source material. While it might disquiet those who prefer a purely rationalist origin story for psychoanalysis, it will undoubtedly thrill intellectual historians, occult scholars, and psychoanalysts seeking a deeper, more nuanced understanding of their field's genesis. A vital addition to any serious collection.

📝 Description: Occultism and the Origins of Psychoanalysis: Freud, Ferenczi and the Challenge of Thought Transference

Occultism and the Origins of Psychoanalysis traces the origins of key psychoanalytic ideas back to their roots in hypnosis and the occult. Maria Pierri follows Freud's early interest in "thought-transmission," now known as telepathy. Freud's private investigations led to discussions with other leading figures like Carl Jung and Sándor Ferenczi, with whom he held a "dialogue of the unconsciouses." Freud's and Ferenczi's work assessed how fortune tellers could read the past from a client, inspiring their investigations into countertransference, the analytic relationship, unconscious communication, and mother-infant relationality. Both Freud and Ferenczi tried in different ways to come close to understanding the infant's occult link with the mother and their secret primal language: their research on thought transference may be identified as a matrix of the developments of current psychoanalysis. Pierri clearly links modern psychoanalytic practice with Freud's interests in the occult using primary sources, some of which have never previously been published in English. Occultism and the Origins of Psychoanalysis will be of great interest to psychoanalysts in practice and in training, as well as academics and scholars of Freudian ideas, psychoanalytic theory, the history of psychology, and the occult. It is complemented by Sigmund Freud and The Forsyth Case: Coincidences and Thought-Transmission in Psychoanalysis.

📑 What's inside

Introduction
Stefano Bolognini
Prologue: a result of character: the cocaine, this magical substance
1. Vienna, Porta Orientis of the Unconscious
The force of suggestion: the "wonderful somnambulists"
Hypnosis
Vienna, laboratory of modernity
2. The Young Freud
A passionate young researcher into nature
First love
Martha and Bertha: the languages of passion
3. The Lesson of Jean Martin Charcot
At the Salpêtrière
The apparatus of language
The magic of words
4. The lesson of Josef Breuer and the "descent to the mothers"
Studies on hysteria
A difficult separation: not all debts can be paid
A foundation myth: a false pregnancy and a cure with a defect
5. Sigmund Freud's lesson
The discovery of a false connection
Irma's throat and the feminine at the origin of psychoanalysis
Dream as desire
6. Fliess and the invention of psychoanalysis
A secret correspondence
My friend in Berlin
Freud's heart trouble
7. The discovery of infantile sexuality
Self-analysis and the writing cure
Cherchez la femme: the case of Emma Eckstein
8. Original thought requires a rupture
The "reader of thoughts"
The accusation of plagiarism
A future in the image of the past: predestination and superstition
9. Occultism made in the USA
Spiritualism
Medium, media, and "mental telegraphy"
First hypotheses about the unconscious
10 Jung, spiritualism, and countertransference: the world of the dead
Jung, Poltergeist phenomena, and séances
The arrival at Burghölzli
First visit to Vienna
Easter 1909: Jung's spiritual complex and Sabina
The dangerous fascination of the "beautiful Jewess"
11. Ferenczi, the unclassifiable
The sultan and his "clairvoyant"
A psychoanalyst "of a restless mind"
Ferenczi and the hidden treasure of Spiritualism
The encounter with Freud: a postponed transferential appointment
12. A journey to America
Three men and an eventful, mutually analytic crossing: the outward journey
and back again
13. The Danaan gift
The clairvoyant who reads Ferenczi's mind
The patient who reads Ferenczi's mind
The Palermo incident, or the interpretation of paranoia
The psychic work of the clairvoyant: two unfulfilled prophecies
14. An epistolary novel
Ferenczi and incestuous countertransferential storms: from mother to daughter
What is still missing is the fatherly blessing: fatefulness and Oedipal coincidences

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💎 Expert review

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💎

Esoterica Books editorial team

Occult literature desk

Pierri delivers a meticulous excavation of psychoanalysis’s occult roots, making a strong case for the influence of telepathy and hypnosis on Freud’s work. The study is rigorous, relying on primary sources to expose private fascinations often ignored in mainstream histories. However, readers seeking accessible pop-psychology or straightforward biographical anecdotes will likely find this dense and academic. It is not suited for those who prefer to keep the history of science strictly separate from esotericism. While intellectually stimulating, the focus on specific theoretical origins may feel too narrow for generalists. It is a specialized contribution that demands patience but rewards with significant insight into the discipline's complex, hidden heritage.

✓ EDITOR'S REVIEW

📖 Why choose it

📖

Why this book is worth reading

Readers interested in the hidden genealogy of psychological theory will find this book indispensable. It offers a fresh perspective on how Sigmund Freud and Sándor Ferenczi utilized esoteric concepts to shape foundational ideas like countertransference and unconscious communication. By examining primary sources previously unexamined, Pierri reveals the profound impact of thought-transference theories on the maternal-infant bond. This is essential for scholars seeking to understand the discipline's true genesis beyond standard scientific accounts. It appeals to those who appreciate the mystery behind clinical frameworks and wish to see how psychic phenomena influenced the development of psychoanalysis, providing a compelling narrative that connects spiritual inquiry with modern therapeutic practice.

⭐ Reader reviews

The starting rating comes from the team Esoterica Books —

⭐ Esoterica editorial review Editorial rating 4.6/5

★★★★★

If you're a psychoanalyst, a student of its history, or simply fascinated by the hidden currents connecting science and esotericism, this book offers a paradigm-shifting read. It challenges established views and invites a deeper appreciation for the complex origins of psychological thought.

Reader rating

4.6

Based on 1 reviews

Esoterica Books editorial team

Pierri delivers a meticulous excavation of psychoanalysis’s occult roots, making a strong case for the influence of telepathy and hypnosis on Freud’s work. The study is rigorous, relying on primary sources to expose private fascinations often ignored in mainstream histories. However, readers seeking accessible pop-psychology or straightforward biographical anecdotes will likely find this dense and academic. It is not suited for those who prefer to keep the history of science strictly separate from esotericism. While intellectually stimulating, the focus on specific theoretical origins may feel too narrow for generalists. It is a specialized contribution that demands patience but rewards with significant insight into the discipline's complex, hidden heritage.

❓ Frequently asked questions

No, it doesn't label him an occultist. Rather, it meticulously documents his private, serious engagement with occult concepts like telepathy and how these explorations subtly, yet significantly, informed the development of core psychoanalytic ideas.

It presents a compelling argument that many foundational psychoanalytic concepts, including countertransference and unconscious communication, have direct, traceable roots in Freud's and Ferenczi's investigations into 'thought-transmission,' utilizing previously unpublished English primary sources.

📖 Who should read this

🎯 Key themes and symbolism

Freud's Esoteric Pursuits

This book unveils Freud’s discreet, yet profound, interest in phenomena like thought-transmission, now commonly known as telepathy. It challenges the conventional narrative by showing how these personal inquiries, often kept from public view, were not mere curiosities but crucial influences that subtly guided his development of groundbreaking psychoanalytic theories.

Unconscious Psychic Connections

Explore the concept of a 'dialogue of the unconsciouses' between Freud and Ferenczi. The text delves into how their shared investigations into the mechanics of fortune-telling – particularly the ability to discern a client’s past – directly informed their understanding of the therapeutic relationship, including the complex dynamics of countertransference.

Maternal-Infant Occult Link

Pierri illuminates how Freud and Ferenczi explored the notion of a primal, 'occult' connection between mother and infant, seeking to understand this unspoken, foundational language. Their research into thought transference is presented as a foundational matrix, foreshadowing many contemporary psychoanalytic perspectives on early relational dynamics.

📜 Historical context

At the turn of the 20th century, many scientific minds, including Freud's, grappled with the boundaries of consciousness and unknown psychic phenomena, a period when mesmerism and spiritualism were still subjects of serious debate. This work positions psychoanalysis not as an entirely separate scientific endeavor, but as an intellectual offspring deeply influenced by the broader esoteric currents of its time, providing a crucial missing link in its intellectual lineage.

📚 Glossary

Thought Transference
Countertransference
Primal Language

📔 Questions to reflect on

How does recognizing the esoteric roots of psychoanalysis change your perception of its scientific validity or its place in intellectual history?
Consider the 'occult link' between mother and infant. How might this concept inform contemporary understandings of early childhood development or attachment theory?
If 'thought transference' was a matrix for current psychoanalysis, what other seemingly 'fringe' phenomena might hold keys to future psychological insights?