Discussion of Alfred Flarsheim's Article, The Psychological Meaning of the Use of Marijuana and LSD in One Case

I shall discuss this paper in two ways. First I shall suggest a reconstruction different from the one suggested by Dr. Flarsheim, or rather, a reconstruction with somewhat different emphases. Second, I shall discuss briefly some of the general issues which he raises.

As I see it, the first evidence of the incompatibility between child and mother is the report that the infant could not tolerate the mother's physical stimulation. That does not tell us whether it was the mother who intruded too vigorously through the child's stimulus barrier or whether it was the child who was excessively sensitive to affectionate stimulation. If we assume, however, that intrusion on the part of the mother and concurrent withdrawal on the part of the child were repeated frequently during the child's early years, then we can account for subsequent events. Namely, the child began to shut herself off, to close herself in, to become unresponsive and frigid. Although the detachment protected her against the pain of her mother's intrusion, it nevertheless created in her another kind of discomfort, namely, separation anxiety. Since however she maintained the closed-off position, we may infer that she preferred to deal with the separation anxiety rather than the stimulation anxiety. In childhood she defended against separation by elaborating imaginary companions, by narcissistic withdrawal, and by enjoying her fantasies and inner sensations which were sometimes elaborated as hallucinations. In late adolescence she protected herself against separation anxiety by seeking the company of the sibling horde, by using hallucinogenic drugs, by inviting rape and by undertaking psychotherapy.

Let me dwell for a moment upon the third point, namely, inviting rape. I am using this phrase both literally and figuratively and I refer here to her tendency to place herself at the mercy of harsh and dangerous people. She was fearful of situations in which she was under the control of another individual, she permit