The patient came under hypnotic treatment nine years after his first epileptic attack. Hypnosis threw the patient into attacks which were clearly a repetition of the accident which preceded the outbreak of the illness. As the outbreak of an illness is likely to be caused by something similar to its original cause, it may be concluded that there was a traumatic neurosis at a very early age.

An epileptic attack may represent a regression to the period of magic gestures when wishes procured their fulfilment by means of inco-ordinated movements.

The aspect of a severe epileptic attack suggests a person in a violent rage held fast by unseen forces. If the attack represents the conflict between the destructive instinct and the socially adjusted side of the ego, then the tonic stages of the illness could be a sign that the inhibiting forces are dominant. The epileptic is social at the expense of his health.