“He [Freud] was motivated by the observation that hypnosis might balance the symptom temporarily, but it did not cure. Eventually Freud concluded that the dramatic pseudosymptoms exhibited by these patients, which he called conversion hysterical symptoms, were the result of a complicated subconscious process in which painful emotions were repressed and then discharged physically. He thought that the symptoms were symbolic and represented a discharge of emotional tension. It was his idea that the process of repression was a defense against the painful emotions. He made a distinction, however, between the kind of symptoms these patients had and those that affected the internal organs, like the stomach and colon. He believed the latter fell into a different category and could not be treated psychologically. He found that he was able to help many of the conversion hysterical patients through the therapeutic process of psychoanalysis, which he developed and for which he has become justly famous.

“In my view, Freud’s greatest contribution to medicine was his recognition of the human unconscious and his continuous efforts to understand it throughout his career. His accomplishments stand with those of Einstein, Galileo, and other great innovative scientists.”

Re: “He was motivated by the observation that hypnosis might balance the symptom temporarily, but it did not cure.”

Yes, that’s why I don’t put much stock in “easy fixes” like …

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Thought Field Therapy (TFT), Voice Technology (VT), Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), Energy EFT, EmoTrance (ET), Tapas Acupressure Technique (TAT), Emotional Clearing (EMC), Progressive Emotional Release (Pro-ER), Sedona Method, Zero Point Processing (ZPoint), The Emotion Code, Quantum Emotional Clearing (QEC), The Work of Byron Katie, Greene’s Release, Bioenergetic Analysis, Alive Polarity, Rayid Method, Mastery Systems, Ortho-Bionomy, Dianetics (Scientology), Primal Therapy, Rebirthing-Breathwork, Holotropic Breathwork, Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), Arica, Reiki, Therapeutic Touch (Non-Contact Therapeutic Touch), Applied Kinesiology (AK), Life Energy Analysis, Biokinesiology (BK), Behavioral Optometry, Brain Gym-Educational Kinesiology (Edu-K), Avatar, Network Chiropractic, Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT), Cognitive Therapy (CT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Rational Behavior Therapy (RBT), Learned Optimism, Cranial Adjusting (Craniopathy), Cranial Osteopathy, CranioSacral Therapy, Bio Cranial Therapy (BCT), Bioenergetic Synchronization Technique (BEST) etc.

These techniques have various degrees of value (I’m especially fond of NLP and AK), but they can’t even define an ENGRAM, much less know how to I.D. one, and still less know how to integrate one.

Re: “He made a distinction, however, between the kind of symptoms these patients had and those that affected the internal organs, like the stomach and colon. He believed the latter fell into a different category and could not be treated psychologically.”

I disagree with both Dr. Freud and Dr. Sarno.

ALL diseases CAN be treated psychologically, both the psychological and psychosomatic ones.

A psychological disease is a disease you think you have, but don’t.

A psychosomatic disease is a disease you definitely DO have, but you don’t know “the cause of the cause of the cause.”

According to Adano Ley (Swami Nitty-Gritty) …

“The five causes of disease are bad nutrition, bacterial invasion, broken bone, heredity, or trauma. Trauma is the cause of them all.”

I asked him, “Adano, which is the most important when doing therapy, the Midnight-Noon Law or the Five Element Law?”

He replied, “Neither. The Trauma is most important.”