Abstract
Myths fulfill a cultural and psychological function, to “dress” the nakedness of the Real, to give meaning to the meaningless. Culture, psyche, and eventually psychoanalytic discourse are crucibles where these primitive exchanges become possible. In this article, the author reflects on the biblical myth of Samson as a story of a double betrayal: the trauma of neglect and violence and its denial by the family, and more generally, by society. Recounting his work with 2 patients, the author shows how the “madness” of their symptoms transpired as an effort to process and express the vicissitudes of suffering such double betrayals. He argues that only in recognizing and acknowledging how the patient's trauma inflicts and resonates in the analyst can the vicious cycle of betrayal be broken and the patient's loneliness be breached.
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