Somatic Illness on Nemesis Dates: The Impact of the Faustian Bargain

After describing a fantasy called the developmental version of the Faustian bargain, in which the early child experiences the parental message that he is allowed to survive but not to live an autonomous existence, the author focuses on a version of the Faustian bargain in which the child experiences the parental message that she is allowed to live but not to survive beyond the date of the parent's illness or death. The author argues that both versions of the Faustian bargain experience constitute a serious risk factor with respect to somatic vulnerability, because the subject's sense of ownership of his or her psyche and soma is impaired. This paper stresses the impact of nemesis anniversary dates and the fantasies that accompany them upon vulnerability to disease and even death. The point is made that the Faustian bargain is an expression of the tragic vision of human existence, which has to be transcended if, through psychoanalytic experience, the subject is to acquire a sense of freedom to construct a personal destiny instead of feeling bound by an inexorable fate. A clinical illustration is offered, which describes some of the transference and countertransference issues in such analyses.