You do not currently have permission to view the full text for this document. Please sign in to an account with an active subscription or contact support.
The Purpose of this paper is to attempt once more to grasp the totality of our existence, or better, of our relating to ourselves and the world in all spheres of our being in healthy and in sick ways, and how the particular mode of existing or relating can be grasped by directly observing, regardless whether we focus on mental, spiritual or corporal aspects.
This was revealed to me when I accidentally met one of my younger patients in midtown Manhattan. We both crossed a large driveway, starting from opposite ends of the street and met half ways. She did not notice me although I smiled, nodded and called out to her. She walked in a stiff, preoccupied manner, staring in front of her, without seeing anything, not even the people or the traffic light. She just moved with the crowd. Her features were intent, her lips tightly pressed together, and she walked rapidly in a straight line.
Dr. Horney's1 simile of the neurotic who behaves like a tightrope walker, with his eyes fixed on the goal, came to my mind. My patient was such a tightrope walker. She could not even look about for fear of losing her equilibrium and falling into some abyss, and she handled herself similarly in her analysis. In my office, she sits down stiffly, and remains motionless with her gaze fixed at some faraway object. She does not tolerate any sidelights because sidelights distract her. For years she has talked about the same topic, without allowing me to help her to broaden the conversation or to approach the matter from a different angle. If I introduce a new topic she becomes anxious. She describes nausea, gagging and cramps in the epigastric region whenever she dresses up for a date. She does not make friends easily, and at the age of 30 has no steady boyfriend. She states that she feels sick and stiff all over when she finds a man attractive. She also suffers from chronic constipation and requires strong laxatives.
The full significance of this type of relating with body involvement became clear