In introducing this text, I return to Michelangelo's visionary art of sculpture. By way of example, I take the “Awakening Slave.” Michelangelo presented this sculpture in an unfinished form, the base marble in which the “Slave” is stuck for eternity. I use the “Awakening Slave” sculpture as an illustration of my initiation into the “psychiatric sculpture” which is still not finished, and perhaps never will be.
Psychoanalysis
There was a need to find a good stone that was easy to carve. Was that the one in Vienna? This is what I thought in those early days because of the magnificent sculpture of psychoanalytic theory. My initiation into everything psychiatric began with Sigmund Freud at the age of 16. He came into my life to put order in a mental structure shaken by the hormones of puberty. It was an opportune time for me to accept his teaching, even if it did not stop at the level of the individual. Clearly, Freud's theory extends to the sphere of family, social and civilizational zones from prehistory to the present day. If we focus on the individual area, as I initially did, Freud wrote about neurotic and psychotic problems, as well as personality disorders, but he also encompassed the psychopathology of everyday life with which I have abundantly identified. I was fascinated in many ways. I “threw myself” into reading many “psychoanalytic” books. In addition, I attended numerous conferences on the subject. I knew I needed a mentor. Freud met this need that I could not satisfy in my natural surroundings. I admired him from the very first moment because he was intelligent, well-read, and able to clarify the almost inexplicable power of the unconscious in our lives. Enchanted by Freud and influenced by many other members of his circle, I fantasized about becoming a psychoanalyst. I did not care about the circular argument, the logical error committed by many of his disciples in interpreting various psychic phenomena. For me, psychoanalysis was critically important in understanding the inner conflict that sought to resolve itself within me.
I found that Freud’s structural model of the psyche, composed of the Id, Ego and Superego, was the best avenue to this end. I learned that the Id is a source of all psychic energy, which was primarily sexual. A place where instinctive wants and needs exist. The Id is governed by the principle of pleasure, without delay, in a reflexive, self-serving way, and not utilizing thought. Its world is simple and consists of fulfilling desires at all costs, if needed magically, through imagination, hallucinations, or dreams. Does not matter. Everything is allowed. Subjectivity “to the core.” On the other hand, there is the Ego springing up in interaction with the outer world. It acts as a negotiator and diplomat, taking into account the limits imposed by reality. Uses intellect to solve problems through reasoning, learning, synthesis and analysis, creating good relations with others, etc. The third player in this virtual space is the Superego, an entity that internalizes societal moral values, norms and ideals. It is transmitted by the “programming” repertoire of parents, in order to reach a perfect adaptation by adopting the rules of behavior without resorting to critical thinking.
As one can guess from this brief presentation, these “three musketeers” have different tasks which often contradict one another. Therefore, the internal conflict is inevitable, first of all between Id and Ego, but also between Superego and Ego. The Ego is always in the middle and must consider the requirements of the Id or Superego and adapt them to the present moment. It can be said that the Ego is like an acrobat on a rope that is steered to maintain balance "here and now" with all his skills. This is no easy task that requires a great deal of concentration, strength and balance. The primary weapon of the Ego is the defense mechanisms, which I mentioned in the book Reflections of a psychiatrist in this way:
“For contemporary mental health professionals, defense mechanisms are the least understood concept of psychoanalysis. We all have them. They are built into the matrix of our mental apparatus, hidden in the deep recesses of the mind, deployed imperceptibly to protect us from the overwhelming power of emotions and realities of life. In meeting with patients or acquaintances, we can see them in action, but we must not use this insight carelessly, because the defense they use is purposeful, and uncovering it can do more harm than good.” *
Oedipus complex
I now come back to Freud to explain another concept that had an enormous impact on me. Namely, Freud picked up the Greek myth of Oedipus and included it as the main driving force behind the development of the Superego, a personality structure with the primary role of control and regulation of impulses whose uncontrolled manifestation can threaten the stability of society. The Oedipus complex refers to a group of largely unconscious ideas and feelings centered on the desire to possess the opposite-sex parent and eliminate the same-sex parent. It is formed during the child's psychosexual development between the ages of three and five. The complex was named after the mythical Oedipus who murdered his father and married his mother without knowing that they were his parents. According to Freud, the Oedipus complex is a universal phenomenon and is responsible for unresolved guilt. Resolution of the Oedipus complex is generally achieved by identifying with the same-sex parent and temporarily renouncing the opposite-sex parent.
Freud pointed out that we live under the impression of forgotten early experiences in the first five years of our childhood filled with lustful passions, desperate longings and terrifying panic, directed at the people around us. In the so-called latent period between the fifth and tenth years of life, the aforementioned early drama is silenced by resorting to repression and turning to the outer world. But during puberty, under the surge of hormones, there is a return of repressed incestuous oedipal feelings in both sexes. An important task for the healthy resolution of that mental process, which Freud calls infantile neurosis, is to withdraw the libido (sexual drive energy) from the parents and transfer it to other socially acceptable persons. The concept of the Oedipus complex has helped me understand my relationship with my mother and father, especially because of the strange and easy-to-activate feeling of guilt, which I still occasionally have to this day. From this, it may be concluded that the shadows of the forgotten past fall upon the present and darken it, until we decide to shine a light on it, supported by the insight that psychoanalysis gives us.
The gifts of psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis plunges into the unconscious mind using the method of free associations, the analysis of dreams, noticing errors of speech and other "traces" that indicate the actions of the unconscious. I was pleasantly surprised by these methods which explain easily and convincingly something that appears to be so complex. Psychoanalysis is a theory and a practice that is not limited only to psychopathology, but which has “normalized” the manifestation of the psychic content in each of us so that it is clear that we are all travelers on the same “ship.” I liked this idea because it is consistent with the belief I hold about the connection of all of us, not only biologically, but psychologically as well. This understanding influenced a more tolerant approach towards self and others that characterizes egalitarianism, as opposed to paternalism. I will finish this section with another quote from the book:
“Freud helped me get to know and understand myself better, and to find a guiding post that could direct my mental energy in a certain direction. His theories and psychoanalytic method of treatment were popular in the former Yugoslavia. I became a member of a tribe with which I identified and found a common language. I possessed knowledge that separated me from what I considered the “ordinary man” and gave me the confidence, or perhaps the arrogance, in understanding everything that exists.” *
My tribe
The affiliation I refer to in the above quote has occurred gradually over the course of my medical and psychology studies. I found myself in a big city, which even before the Second World War had a tradition, albeit only among a small group of people, of teaching and spreading psychoanalysis. After the war, the communist government looked with suspicion at this heretic method of treatment, but the spark created earlier did not die off but flared up and multiplied with the establishment of the “Avala” Psychiatric Department in 1952 within the Neuropsychiatric Clinic in Belgrade, the Medical and Pedagogical Counseling Center in 1953, and the first psychotherapy department in the “Dragiša Mišović” hospital in 1956. The names of Mirko Švrakić, Vladislav Klajn, Vojin Matić and his many students were forever recorded in the annals of the development of psychoanalysis in Serbia. Later, many others joined them.
When I began my studies in medicine and psychology in 1973 and 1974, respectively, psychoanalysis and psychoanalytically oriented psychiatry were widely present among the younger cadre of psychiatrists and psychologists educated abroad, especially in England and America. The major strongholds were the School of Philosophy and the Institute of Mental Health. I had the opportunity to meet and be taught by people such as professors Boško Popović and Milan Popović, as well as many others. But the greatest impression on me was made by a man who was no official lecturer at the university, but whose books and public lectures I read and attended. His name was Vladeta Jerotić. During the 1970s and 1980s, many of his books appeared in print. I "swallowed" them, fascinated by his style of writing both palatable and complex and the wide range of topics to which applied psychoanalysis related. The cultural, religious and social spheres about which he wrote were well beyond the realm of clinical work. Dr. Jerotić specialized in neuropsychiatry and psychotherapy in Switzerland, Germany and France. He worked as the head of the psychotherapy department at the "Dragiša Mišović" hospital in Belgrade. He was one of the translators of the Selected Works of Sigmund Freud. He had a reputation as one of the top psychotherapists in Belgrade professional circles.
And now about Jung
In Switzerland, Dr. Jerotić became acquainted with Carl Gustav Jung, about whom he often spoke and wrote. As is well known, Jung was Freud's chosen successor. He was appointed to the position of lifetime president of the newly formed International Association of Psychoanalysts in 1909. But soon they had their ideological conflict and separation, which enabled Jung to create a new school of psychoanalysis, the so-called analytical psychology. The Freudians rejected him and grossly belittled him. But he gradually and systematically built and spread his theories, which in their comprehensiveness and reach far surpassed Freud's. Psychology studies and Jerotić's lectures helped me better understand the breadth and depth of Jung's teachings on archetypes, complexes, Anima and Animus, Persona and Shadow, Self and ego, personal and collective unconscious, sense of individuation, the meaning of dreams, myths and religion, neurosis and psychotherapy. A whole new world filled with universal symbols, dream analysis, spirituality, mythology and even flying saucers opened before my eyes. Jung spent much of his life exploring such fields as quantum physics, vitalism, Eastern and Western philosophies including epistemology, alchemy, astrology, and sociology, as well as literature and art. The principal problem in the study of Jung's contributions is the cryptic nature of his writing and his introverted writing style, particularly characteristic of his most important works. This is why I started reading Jung's book Man and His Symbols aimed at a wider audience since it is easier to understand the writing style. I started recording a series of dreams by following the instructions in this book to identify symbols and themes that blended from one dream to the next.
Individuation
What was also interesting is that, unlike Freud, who focused on early childhood and its influence on the rest of life, Jung devoted his mental energy to the process of individuation that characterizes the second half of life. The first half of life is dominated by the ego with its power of adaptation, it may be said at the service of survival in certain external circumstances. But in the second, according to Jung, the more important half of life, the major task is to find the authentic self that Jung calls the Self. The words from the Gospel of Thomas fit well here to emphasize the importance of this process: “If you bring out what is in you, what you bring out will save you. If you don't bring out what's inside you, what you don't bring out will destroy you.” ** Many of Jung's disciples consider individuation to be one of his most important ideas because it indicates the process in the service of the soul, not of parents, tribe, nation, etc. Individuation calls each of us to stand in the presence of our own mystery and become fully responsible for who we are on this journey we call life. Successful individuation is likened to being given permission to lead our own lives. If I apply this understanding to my own life, I can attest that my quest for purpose and authenticity has changed. The second half of my life consists in cultivating and broadening positive states of consciousness linked to feelings of joy, compassion, love, truth and wisdom. Furthermore, I am even more guided by the principle “Know thyself”, which is built upon “Radically accept thyself.” In my case, writing, first an autobiography, and more recently essays in which I explore inner psychological states, interpersonal relationships and spiritual, philosophical and pragmatic views on the world and human nature, has led to an experience of personal expansion and transformation. This makes me feel enriched, connected and integrated, both internally and in relation to others.
* Reflections of a psychiatrist, by Zelko Leon, Independently published, 2022
** The Gospel of Thomas: The Gnostic Wisdom of Jesus, by Jean-Yves Leloup, Inner Traditions, 2005
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