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By reason of their unusual introversion of interest, the mystical religionist often shows a very keen psychologic insight. In many ways they are the forerunners of modern psychology. Of course, they always lack the pyschogenetic viewpoint of psychoanalysts, as well as the perspective of the evolutionary psychologists. The critics of the psychoanalysts show the same lack. Therefore, when they discover a bit of ancient psychologic insight which has been found true by the different methods of psychoanalytic observation, the critics hasten to declare that, in so far as Freud has declared any truths they are not new. Let me hand such critics another crumb of comfort, taken from Martin Luther (1483-1546).
“Heavy thoughts bring on physical maladies; when the soul is oppressed, so is the body. Augustin said well: ‘Anima plus est ubi amat, quant ubi animat.’ When cares, heavy cogitations, sorrows, and passions superabound, they weaken the body, which without the soul is dead, or like a horse without a driver. But when the heart is at rest, and quiet, then it takes care of the body, and gives it what pertains thereunto. Therefore, we ought to resist anxious thoughts by all possible means.” (Martin Luther, Table Talk, London, , p. 273.)
T. S.