Nineteen Patients in Analysis with Freud (1910-1920)

A new source is introduced in this paper: the calendars, covering the period from 1910-1920, in which Freud noted which analysands he had seen each day. From these, the analyses of nineteen patients whose existence was previously known have been selected; the investigation describes their course and focuses on their duration and weekly frequency. The historical change in analytic practice both in terms of duration and frequency is pointed out. Most analyses were surprisingly short; a small minority were very long. The frequency with which Freud worked with his patients was high, sometimes very high (up to eighteen hours a week), but in several cases it changed numerous times during the analysis. These data are seen as a compromise between what Freud considered desirable and what was practicable. Freud's analyses of psychotic patients is described, possibly altering our view of his attitude to the treatment of psychosis. The author contends that commandments and interdictions concerning this and other aspects of analytic practice are erroneously considered to be based on Freud. They do not, however, follow from Freud's work but were developed by those who came after him.