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At first I felt reluctant to exercise the responsibility I felt
was in my hands at setting another individual's feet into the path
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which must inevitably become straighter and narrower as the
perception clears. But if the individual is sent to us, who am I
to send him away?&
(Description and discussion of three borderline cases, and of
paranoid schizophrenics)
Now my observations may not be wide enough, but it seems to
me that temperament may set the direction -- certainly the
biochemical is the substrate -- but the early environment showed
the direction in which the twig was bent. A willow may lean
further and bend back on itself in spirals, but an oak will have
only a slight curvature. Actually, I think Freud was extremely
perceptive and accurate on many things. I think there is a good
deal more to the levels of psychosexual development than the
opponents of psychoanalysis would like to admit (and a great deal
less than the devoted brethren would like to think, too). I feel
that early experiences plus temperament give the form and design
of the ego structure. Heavens -- end of page; so end of letter.
With great good luck and fun in Zurich and best love Betty
August 11, 1957
Dear Humphrey:
This is in the way of addenda to my letter of the 3rd. We
have just done two extraordinary women subjects with LSD,
increasing doses, and the steps they went through were so
startlingly similar -- with variations for their own individual
dynamics, of course -- that it seemed perhaps there was a rough
sort of map here for our inspection.
With the 25 gamma both women relived incidents from their
past -- and both of them spoke of it in terms of the unrolling of
microfilm. Both are extremely intelligent people, and the details
remembered from half a century ago, even, were extraordinary. The
microfilm story unrolled -- not in the sequence or steadily, but
jumping from recent past to deep past, but concentrating more as
time went on, on the deepest past. And there were many tears and
laughs accompanying it. This continued until in both cases
repressed incidents were relived with strong affect -- what I call
a massive abreaction. In both cases these early incidents had
served as a crystallization point for later emotional
distortions.
Once they were remembered and relived, there came a
peacefulness; then the scene appeared to change to a different
level of consciousness -- the symbolic. Both women experienced
extremely frightening apparitions which appeared to be symbolic
representations of their own guilt. The younger woman went into
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the schizophrenic area; the older one experienced it more like
hell with Mephistopheles present&
Getting through this aspect of the unconscious entailed
moving toward the difficulty and the help of both Sid and me. In
both cases they needed both a man and a woman, and the time
element ran about 45 minutes& And part of the most effective help
is through the laying on of hands . That, encouragement, and the
aid in moving toward the frightening apparition rather than away
from it. Then it changes its face and reveals itself. Another
help is the letting the frightening animal or incident fall away
and recede into perspective, which comes with the help of the
therapist."
Once through this level, comes the experience of the
solution of the problem through the ages: one subject experienced
the full family circle first in Biblical times, then Egyptian,
then Grecian. Both started with the Biblical level and then
experienced peace, the unity of humanity, and the solution of the
outstanding problem in different ages. This has been true of a
number of reports I have read of sessions that Al has conducted.
I suspect that this is the area of the impersonal unconscious
wherein one experiences other times and the personal problems are
solved at a different level.
After this, the rising to the light -- and the going as high
as the person is able to. But the oneness of humanity precedes
this -- and seems to stem directly from the impersonal level.
Perhaps that is the level of human unity; the cosmic one arises
from that.
When people jump past one of the levels, could it be
possible that they either have worked through that one, or are in
some way open to the other one at this time? Some for instance go
straight to the ages; some straight to the light& I think maybe
with time our understanding of the layers of the unconscious will
be clearer... With best love... Betty
Box 1056, Weyburn 10:8:57
Dear Betty,
Yours of the third August to hand -- and being in the mood
and having just had Al here for a couple of days, I feel I must
hurry and answer before the pre-Zurich rush clamps down&
We had a delightful visit. I think I have unraveled much of
the California debacle and it was in some ways highly successful;
because even if Al did not do all he hoped at least he seems to
have added a good push to your work and helped it along& He brought
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his old fireman's hat along and I must admit that he has no false
ideas about it. It is a Ph.D. It is recognized by the state of
Tennessee (it has their seal on it). Al seems to recognize quite
clearly that it is not quite the same as some Ph.D.'s but it is
recognized by state and so with limitations by federal law. And
hell, Al is better than 100 Ph.D.s or M.D.s, much shrewder, too!
His lawyers have examined it carefully and tell him that he is
entitled to call himself Dr. H. if he wishes. However now he
seems happy enough to be Captain! I am curious to know what
happened. But it does seem that K. Ditman was ill advised to hold
up Al's LSM. It was an arbitrary, improper, and probably illegal
act. It was above all the one sort of action which would set Al
moving along his tycoon lines... What Al did not quite recognize
was that in his new surroundings such behavior was a trifle outre.
Yet looking at it from his point of view it was wholly commendable
and really very moderate. So I suppose Wild W. Hickock would have
been commendably moderate if he had shot off someone's hat rather
than his head& Al signaled quite clearly that he would get his
property back and this meant that he would act in accordance with
common business procedure. I don't think that anyone heeded his
signals... Anyway, he is very happy getting news of your work and
of course I am too&
I think you are perfectly correct (and the mystics bear you
out on this) that there is a psychotic belt lying between
normality and what my colleagues Duncan Blewitt (one of the two
bedeviled psychologists) calls the golden strand. Physical
contact may be very important&
I do hope to see the great old master of Zurich. He has
written too much, but he is so exuberant and seems to have no
critical friend who can hack off some of the pudding. Indeed
rather the reverse. The faithful are inclined to encourage him to
great diffuse tomes! I had a notable three hours with him almost
two years ago, but I fear that I won't be so lucky this time.
Jung is greatly pleased at our work on toxin X whose existence he
predicted about 50 years ago in spite of Freud's opposition&
My good wishes to Sid -- and of course to Gerald, Margaret,
Will and Michael when you see them. Let me know if my hunch is
right about the Ditman episode. I'm pretty sure what you saw was
another convention being played. It looked like nursery, but it
is orthodox business. Ever Humphry
Box 1056, Weyburn. 15:7:(should be 8):57
My dear Betty,
Now you have got something. That clicks&
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I think that we must realize that not only are there specific
difficulties at each level, but there is a very real possibility
of a scrambling of levels -- being in two places at the same time.
We experience this in a mild way with the cinema and television
now, but we have very quickly learnt how to cope& Now what
determines our capacity for changing levels and being able to
accept "other realities"? There are clearly two great dangers
which have to be guarded against: 1. the incapacity to accept
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