Blanche wittman's breasts: the aetiology of the split between body, trance, and psychoanalysis

Abstract

Since its inception, psychoanalysis deeply engaged itself with questions of autonomy and influence, seeking to minimize the analyst's impact in order to allow for self-direction and uninterrupted growth. The relational turn in psychoanalytic thinking challenged the hermetic fantasy of the therapist's2 positioning as a blank slate and, having recognized the inevitability of influence, has sought to involve and incorporate the therapist more fully within the therapeutic dyad. However, some prejudiced practices are still at place. Since Freud's abandonment of hypnosis and touch, the therapeutic use of both trance and touch have been largely alienated from the psychoanalytical milieu. As a consequence, research and clinical applications of both disciplines developed disconnectedly, and became fragmented. This paper suggests that Freud's initial reasons for abandoning the practice of hypnosis and the use of touch were politically and socially embedded. The paper traces the original split between psychoanalysis, hypnosis and touch to a strategic juxtaposition of establishing psychoanalysis as science in-par with physics. It suggests that both trance and touch represented highly relational, unmediated challenges to the therapeutic dyad, which Freud was unable to incorporate into his practice at the time. This dissociated split is presented through examining Charcot's performance-hypnosis with Blanche Mary Wittman. The paper then sets to briefly discuss the nature of relational body-psychotherapy and relational hypnosis, demonstrating their relevance to modern relational psychoanalytic thinking. The alienation between these three disciplines results in loss of valuable fertilized dialogue which could enrich and inform practitioners from all three disciplines, and facilitate the amalgamation of a cohesive relational framework. Today, the sociocultural conditions allow for reintegration of these valuable aspects of human connection: trance and touch. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.