Freud on the couch

Science is nothing more than all the conceptions of a century, the science of the next century and beyond sinks. (Léon Denis)

Introduction
 
 

It is very common to a class of depreciators of Spiritism base their criticism on the father of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) to explain the spiritual phenomena. This group is composed of pseudo-parapsychologists, all of Catholic origin, when they cannot find points to refute the reality of spiritual phenomena in Parapsychology, they use the expression "Freud explains," using and overusing the individual and the collective unconscious, as powerful weapons that according to them, annihilated the spiritists’ arguments. The connection we are doing to the Catholic Church is not to denigrate this millenary religious institution, but only

to show the systematic contradiction of our opposers. Despite the fact that Catholic catechism teaches that man has a soul and that after the death of the physical body and in future, when the day of the trial comes, it will revive. The pseudo-Catholics parapsychologists, in a contrary theory, say, "There are no spirits without the human body or resurrected body." You see, dear reader, as such ideas are similar to the materialists who do not believe in anything spiritual.

It would be appropriate to put the comments of J. Herculano Pires, who in life was a student of the Paranormal on them:

When, therefore, an alleged parapsychologist is to "teach" that parapsychology deny the existence of spirits, spiritual communications, principles of religious and philosophical, as the reincarnation and the existence of God, their diplomas and certificates do not even have the value of the certificate information on the subject. (Pires, 1987, p. 25).

It is interesting how certain things happen. Take note:

               The spiritual phenomena that show intelligence were not mere effects of biological and physiological processes. They were much more complex phenomena, which could come from the human mind or the guts, but could also be produced by forces not yet sufficiently known, as the natural magnetism, electricity, energy and information from regions still unknown to human consciousness itself. The subconscious is a mystery. Kardec addressed it when Freud was still in infancy. Kardec gave the Spiritist Magazine, which he founded to promote his work and research of opinions, the subtitle of Journal of Psychological Studies, proving that he was already convinced that he was facing problems of the human psyche. (Pires, 1988, p. 54).

Since parapsychology originated from spiritual phenomena how can you explain that some modern parapsychologists have denied such phenomena? The explanation is easy. Spiritism was born in France, and so was reductionist parapsychology of Robert Amadou, of Thomism- Catholicism. This is the favourite argument of our contradictory Catholics who try to fight Spiritsm by all means possible to them, but we don’t know why, since "it is well known fact that the viewpoint of each influences strongly on ones’ point of view! In other words, what you see when you observe, depends on the point at which we are when we observe. " (Wilkinson, 2003, p. 210).

This fact makes us believe even more in the spiritists principles because we believe that if Spiritism did not really had anything to offer it would not be so systematically attacked. And we believe that the truth doesn’t need to be imposed, that those who want to convince others they are right, in fact are not, because the truth is so transparent that it does not need anything to convince but itself.

We said that if there were nothing after our death, why would it be useful to be born in a family? We could very well have a behaviour similar to that of animals, which provides no family ties with their offspring and most of their relationship with partners only serves to procreation.

It is also interesting that most of these opposers believe they are the only ones endowed with intelligence because only the arguments they defend are valid, although they are not aligned, neither with their religious principles, nor with accordance to those of modern Parapsychology. 

Irrefutable Opinions on Spiritism 

Professor Charles Richet, of the Academy of Medicine of Paris, creator of the Metapsychics, the origin of the current Parapsychology according to Léon Denis, ends his article under the title "You should study Spiritism," published in "Annales des Sciences psychique," in 1905, thus:

          "1 - There are no contradictions between the facts and theories of Spiritsm and positive facts established by science. 2 - The number of writings, memoirs, books, stories, notes, experiences, is so substantial and signed by such authorities that is not right to reject these many documents without a thorough study. 3 - Our contemporary science is still little in progress to what will be one day the human knowledge, that everything is possible, even more extraordinary that we deem ... Therefore, instead of ignoring the opinion of Spiritism, wise men (people) should study it. Physicists, chemists, physiologists, philosophers, take on the knowledge of spiritual facts. A long and arduous study is needed. It will undoubtedly be fruitful. " (DENIS, 1987, p. 33). 

And speaking about the experiences of William Crookes, a renowned English scholar, Richet says that they "are of granite" (Pires, 1987, p. 83). Crook conducted experiments related to materializations of spirits, and even took several pictures of one who presented herself under the name of Katie King, through the ectoplasmic mediumship of Florence Cook.

Herculano Pires tells us that:

Charles Richet, Nobel Prize in Physiology and founder of the Metapsychics, in disagreement with Kardec, said in his Treaty of Metapsychics, that Kardec was who had most contributed to the emergence of new science, and noted that Kardec never affirmed something that was not proven on his research. (Pires, 1987, p. 55). 

It was Joseph Banks Rhine, professor of philosophy and psychology at Duke University in the USA, the responsible for the appearance of the Paranormal. His wife, Mrs. Louisa Rhine, collaborator of his work, published the book “The Hidden channels of the spirit” in which "recognizes that a significant part of psychic phenomena can only be explained by the hypothesis spiritist (LOEFFLER, 2003, p. 312), that conclusion had the support of the J. B. Rhine in “The New World of the Mind” (PIRES, 1987, p. 25).

Continuing with the thought of Herculano Pires:

             “We should made clear that some of the world renowned parapsychologists, serious and highly trained, have argued the survival of mind after physical death, based on the lessons taken from their investigations. Prof. Whately Carington, University of Cambridge, responsible for the famous experiments in telepathy with drawings that provided the first evidence of precognition, formulated a parapsychology theory of post-mortem existence. Prof. Harry Price, professor of logic at the University of Oxford, argues the same thesis stating that the human mind survives death and has the same power of the mind of man alive, to influence other minds and the material world. Prof. Staff, University of London, successfully conducted experiments with "direct-voice", in which the voice of communicating in space vibrates independently of sensory or medium. (Pires, 1987, p. 25).

Loeffler, citing Louisa Rhine, transcribes, in her book mentioned above, passages in which she evaluates the possibility of survival:

       "Is life after death part of a human? Some experiences of psi suggest affirmative answers. Actually, the idea of life post-mortem has been reinforced by events suggest that mental performance of people missing. "(P. 233).

        "It is reasonable to assume that if there are discarnate people capable of influencing the living and maintaining communication with them, I will be made with some frequency. It is possible that the evidence is at hand, requiring only we open our eyes to see it. (p. 254).

        "In proportion to our understanding that the world is wider than it seems, and that we are more than mortals chained to the senses that the level of mechanistic science seeks to convince us that we are, the more we will enjoy the universe expanding. We will see that if we have this potential, the universe will be greater than it appears. We will understand that, at least logically, there is enough space for continuation of the personality after the senses have ceased to function. (p. 258). " (Loeffler, 2002, p. 313-314). 

Freud on the couch 

The first challenge to Freud came from one of his disciples, called C. G. Jung, who eventually found a school within psychoanalysis. His opinion is expressed in the book “Psychology of the Unconscious”, where at one time he writes:

"The sexual theory of neurosis by Freud is based, therefore, in a principle that is true and real. However, it commits the error of the unilaterality and exclusivity and the impudence of wanting to seize Eros, who is never caught on a gross sexual terminology. At this point Freud is also a representative of his materialist time, who nurtured the hope of solving all the puzzles of the world in a test tube. Freud himself, when old, recognized this lack of balance of his theory and argued the Eros, which called the libido, the instinct of death or destruction. " (JUNG, 2001, p. 20).

In the Preface of this book, Jung found a view that we cannot fail to mention, because it reinforces that our study, read:

            "Difficult and complex matters as the psychology of the unconscious not only leads to new discoveries, but also to misunderstandings. This is a vast untouched area, which penetrate as experimental, which can only reach the right track after failing in its many deviations. " (JUNG, 2001, p. XI). 

But, it seems, today some parapsychologists (or at least is what they say they are) know more than Jung.

In October 2002 the magazine has Superinteressante as the cover story: "Is it the end of Psychoanalysis", the article is signed by Rodrigo Cavalcante, which we transcribe:

   Despite of being so popular, psychoanalysis (Freud gave the name to this method in 1896) was never the target of many criticisms as in recent years. Neurologists and scholars of the mind say it is much closer to fiction than science and that the works of Freud today are not of good literature (Freud wrote very well). Social psychologists criticize the emphasis given by Freud to sexuality and family relationships as models limited to the interpretation of psychological distress, offering new ways to take care of existential problems. [...].

   "Only those who have little sense would take seriously most of the ideas of Freud now " says Sophie, psychologist and professor of Simmons College in Boston, USA. Her statement would be one of the strong critics of Freud; it wouldn’t be that important if it were not for one important detail. Her full name is Sophie Freud. Yes, the granddaughter of the founder of psychoanalysis told SUPERINTERESSANTE rather sceptical view of theories of her grandfather and she thinks that  little of his thesis can still be considered valid. (Cavalcanti, 2002, p. 44). (Emphasis added by author).

Observe that not even Freud’s granddaughter believes in his thesis, what to say of those who had no relationship with him? 

              Below, Cavalcante says: "Freud himself, in some of his texts, suggest the possibility that one day the psychoanalysis may be left behind, replaced by a new treatment." (Cavalcanti, 2002, p. 44). A true and genuine prophecy!

              Certainly, it is replaced by a treatment that considers the human being not merely a physical body, but that has a spirit that is immortal. This spirit that has lived before this life and that will live other lives to achieve perfection. This is not far from happening, because many psychoanalysts and psychologists have realized this fact sustained by the Spiritism.

Moreover, Freud is also losing ground with regard to its interpretation of dreams. Take this excerpt from an article in the magazine Galileo:

     [...] Researchers who study the physical functioning of the brain begin to delineate the biochemical mechanisms behind the activity in dreams (sleep) and say that something has little or nothing to do with messages in symbolic language and repressed sexual desires identified by Freud . (Garcia, 2003, p. 19). (Emphasis added by author). 

It seems that Freud may have been mirrored in himself to develop the theory of dreams, an thinks that everything is because of sex, as popularly said, "have sex in his head", so will find that everyone thinks the same shape. "Freud has been subject to criticism since he published ‘The Interpretation of Dreams', in 1899, "said Rafael Garcia, author of the article.

Now the opinion of a neurophysiology, cited by Garcia:

            "Dream is just that: a conscious experience as we sleep," explains the neurophysiology César Timo-Iaria, Faculty of Medicine, USP. "Any other concept is fanciful." [...].

            "In the dream, anything is possible, because there is no filter that is given by the mechanisms of alert," says Timo-Iaria. For him, the neurophysiology knocks the Freudian tradition, which considers the elements of strange dreams as symbols to mask our repressed desires "(Garcia, 2003, p. 21).

Kardec already said that dreams are states of emancipation of the soul, the fact that inevitably one day the science will confirm.

Not only the incarnated, but also the disincarnated give their opinion on Freud. In the books “Between Earth and Heaven” and “Action and reaction”, psychographic works of Chico Xavier, dictated by the spirit André Luiz we find:

"Freud should be praised by his courage when he undertook the journey to more abstruse mazes of the human soul to find the wounded feelings and diagnose them with possible discernment. However, it cannot be rigorously adopted, as intended, to some extent, explain the emotional field of creatures by the absolute focus on erotic sensations. "

"Creation, life and sex are issues that are identified mainly among themselves, losing themselves in their origins in the Divine Wisdom. This is why we are so far to standardize them in technical and irremovable definitions. Thus we can’t limit human madness based only on sex, because we would be so foolish as someone who wanted to study the Sun only by observing a ray of light filtered by the crack of a roof. Looking at it as an active force of life, in the face of relentless creation, sex pulsates in everything from the subatomic to the principles of communion attraction of the stars, because it express the force of love, generated by the infinite love of God “.

"Freud who defined the purpose of sexual drive and search for pleasure ... Yes, the assumption is respectable, in referring to the primary experience of the Spirit in the physical world, but is essential to expand the definition to remove it from the erotic field that it was limited. For the creative energy of love that ensures the stability of the entire universe, the soul, to be improving, always seeking the noblest value. We, therefore, are happy to help, discover, purify, redeem, illuminate, study and learn, raise, build and enjoy a multitude of pleasures, more consistent with the sanctifying work of the Spirit. We find therefore souls who love deeply, producing invaluable values for the growth of the world, without the need to touch one another, from a physiological point of view, but they constantly exchange quintessence rays of love for the construction of works they mould. Undoubtedly, the decent home, a sanctuary in which life is manifested in the formation of blessed bodies for the experience of the soul, is a venerable institution on which they focus the attention of Divine Providence, but within it, we also have the associations of beings that cling to each other in the most pure feelings in favour of works of charity and education. " (Xavier, 1987, p. 202-204 - passim).

"Freud envisioned the truth but all truth without love is like a sterile and cold light. It’s not enough just to know it and interpret it. It is essential to serve sublimely. The great scientist pointed out aspects of our spiritual struggle in the evolutionary path and catalogued the problems of the soul, still incarcerated in the webs of the lower life. He noted the presence of the painful wounds of human beings, but did not spread the healing balm efficiently. He did a lot, but not enough. The doctor of the future, to deal with the disharmony of the spirit will need to raise the healthy medicine of understanding and love taken from his/her own heart. Without a helping hand, the erudite word dies in the air. " (Xavier, 1986, p. 83). 

Freud analyses Freud 

The Christian Spiritist Magazine published a report entitled "Freud beyond the grave", a message dictated by the spirit of the father of psychoanalysis to the German medium Eva Herrmann, of which we had to transcribe these interesting excerpts:

[...] Man is the final sum of his past lives, which is, often centuries before the current life. [...]

I just failed by little to become the creator of a valid psychology cause, but I missed the decisive condition: I had no authorization to do so. I was only allowed to give the world a part, for the most part correct, the unconscious, but to clarify the true nature of the soul. [...]

[...] I hated my mother despite a strong incestuous connection on my side, but both feelings ran in parallel, not disturbing each other. Later I explained this feeling by the alleged presence of an Oedipus complex, but today I see this scene in a completely different light. I hated my mother because, in a previous life, she did a great injustice and I carried this fact in the depths of my being.

But in addition to that my desire is linked to the fact that the theory of the Oedipus complex is correct, as there is some attraction between the sexes. It should not, however, conclude that the rest of the tragedy of Sophocles should be accepted as a whole. The theory above, that in my work has an important role, today I reject as a flaw. The fact that millions of people accepted and still accept it does not change the truth, that destructive forces idealize this deception that took more than a generation to be accepted as such.

My colleagues, to whom this diagnosis seemed the correct answer to the problem, they have been victims of autosuggestion that snaps that you do not know a better solution as much as I have.

             [...] Despite my knowledge of the mechanism of the unconscious form a basis for a valid psychology, the rest of my teaching is not only wrong, and I confirm with heavy heart, but in a way absurd.

However what I deeply regret now, since it had been allowed to me, is that I did not used, my time and effort to discover the real bases of what makes the human being what it is, or look at the events in reincarnation and into the past that is lost in the darkness, rather than look them only in the childhood. [...].

            [...] I start to understand that all current concepts on the functioning of the human being are nothing close to reality. [...]

            [...] Today I believe in religion to be something very different from a blind observation of a ritual or a religious fanaticism. [...]

            [...] In this side of the world, illusions about the condition of your own soul cannot exist; since it is place in a real and objective position.
[...] The above collaborations showed the man with a unilateral sexual tonic point of view, which distracted the attention of an entire generation to concepts that do not correspond to reality, or that didn’t have a universal scope, as I proclaimed.

           From a subjective viewpoint of someone who lost the scales before the eyes, there was a mistake on my side, helped to some extent, the internal provision of wanting to shock the world. [...]

          I cannot judge how long, with the help of others, I will be able to restore the man as a creation of God, whose sexuality, with the exception of pathological cases, make an important part of life. [...]

           [...] We cannot undo what happened and so we try, in one way or another to compensate for the error, for something good that does not eliminate the injustice, but in a way a repayment. This is my current task and the first step is in the recognition and assessment of the injustice committed. It is not easy for someone who, like the vast majority of humanity, is accustomed to lying to himself/herself. [...] (REBELO, 1999, 12-18 - passim).

We, the Spiritists, we believe in life after death and the possibility of exchange between the two planes of life, we find that message perfectly appropriate to Freud. But by no means can say that categorically. We will leave it up to the reader to refer to the magazine and read the entire message, analysing it in style and content to judge for himself/herself, with their own discretion, if it could really be from the author who signs it.

Conclusion

To those seeking in Freud support for their ideas to combat Spiritism, we advise them to seek other basis because this is being demolished day-to-day, and it is very lagged:

Another theory, often invoked by the antagonists of the Spiritist’s idea, is that of the unconscious or the unconscious ego. Numerous obscure and complicated systems reported to them.

According to this theory, two beings coexist in us: a conscious one, which knows and possess itself and, an unconscious one, that ignores itself, because it is ignored by us which, however, has faculties superior to our own, because all the spiritual and magnetic phenomena is assigned to it, and not only we would have a second "ourselves", but a third, fourth and even more, because some theorists admit the existence in men of many personalities of different consciences. This system is known as the poli consciousness. 

As shown by Mr. Charles Richet in his book "Man and intelligence, the provoked sleepwalking", which is called the dual personality are, simply, the various states of a single personality. Thus also the unconscious is nothing more than a form of memory, the awakening of the memories, of the faculties and capabilities dormant in us. The theorists of the unconsciousness wish, in this way, great fight and create a system even more fantastic and complicated than the one it denies. Not only the theory is unintelligible, but it does not completely explains the spiritual phenomena, because you cannot understand how the unconscious forms the apparitions, intelligent communications by means of sound or blows, and all other facts certified by experiments from all countries.

The opposers of Spiritism also wanted to claim that the dictated messages from spiritual meetings originated from a kind of collective consciousness, which comes from all of the present assistants. This is an illogical concept. 

You may ask why this sudden universal agreement on this hidden unconsciousness, that ignore each other and themselves, are unanimous in the course of events hidden, to say they are spirits of the dead.

At least, what we have been able to verify in the many experiments that have taken part for more than thirty years, in so many points in France and abroad. Nowhere are presented as they are invisible unconscious, or " upper egos" of the medium and bystanders, but as different personalities, in the fullness of their conscience, as free people, having lived on Earth, known to the assistants in most cases with all the human characters, their qualities and faults, their weaknesses and virtues, and frequently proof of identity.

What's most remarkable about it, let us agree, is the profoundness and the fertility of the mind of certain thinkers, their ability to build fantasy theories in order to evade the realities that bother them of which they dislik. (DENIS, 1987b, p. 200-202).

Furthermore we can say that if science could be free of religious prejudices of some to find the issue of survival of the soul, to find strong material, finally, treat the man in his true nature which is to be an immortal spirit that by the Creator’s intentions, is linked to a physical body and by his own will, have the ability to learn and progress, to reach the maximum level that the will of God allows human beings evolution.

We must also highlight the inconsistency of the religious who based their ideas on Freud, as the creator of psychoanalysis did not have a vision that would justify the religious sentiment as something natural, by the contrary, as Dora Incontri informs in her book “Understanding Kardec”:

For Freud, religion is a projection of human desires. In his book: ‘The future of an illusion (1997), the founder of psychoanalysis acknowledges that human beings create metaphysical and religious illusions to meet a psychological need. In Freud’s opinion, the human being is a being hopelessly in conflict, so neurotic, that finds in religious imagery a form of comfort. He sees what he wanted to see, believe in what he thinks, to meet our needs. (Incontri, 2004, p.77). (Emphasis added).

It seems that there is something contradictory in all this process, since there are plenty of evidence that the spiritual manifestations are not the product of the unconsciousness, while the opposers say that everything is a product of the unconsciousness, no one showed that this hypothesis, if not true, is at least feasible. To talk that it is a product of the unconscious becomes an easy way to deny the facts, however, prove that it is the unconscious that produces the manifestations so we can surrender to the evidence.

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