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Every student of psychoanalysis is familiar with the riveting story of how Breuer fled in a panic as his patient Anna O. revealed her “pregnancy,” naming him as the father of her baby. Supposedly realizing that her new hysterical symptom was the result of their intense relationship, he made the decision precipitously to end her treatment. Legend has it that Breuer quickly embarked on a vacation with his wife, whereupon she became pregnant with their next child. Breuer's intense relationship with the “hysterical” Anna O., whose real name was Bertha Pappenheim, subsequently held sway as evidence of the power of erotic transference and countertransference, though those terms were not applied at the time. Perhaps more importantly, Anna O's purported pregnancy fantasy served to validate Freud's belief in the sexual etiology of hysterical symptoms. Referenced countless times as a cautionary tale for analysts who become involved with challenging patients, the story suffers from one important liability: much of it is false.
The required corrections are numerous. First, Breuer did not end Anna O.'s treatment upon observing her hysterical pregnancy. Indeed, the whole story concerning this fantasy is called into question by some authors (Gilhooley 2002) since it was reported third-hand by Freud biographer Ernest Jones, who received the information from Freud. The veracity of Freud's statements about Breuer can be called into question given his vitriolic dismissal of him. What is known to be true is that Anna O. brought up the issue of termination and set a date. That she apparently suffered separation anxiety after