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Internationale Zeitschrift für Ärztliche Psychoanalyse
Vienna, November 23, 1913
Dear friend,
Today at 3 P.M. the séance1 took place at my home in the presence of Rank, Sachs, Hitschmann, their wives, my brother, and my children. It went very miserably, hardly any indication of success. The same thing is supposed to have taken place the day before yesterday at the home of Dr. Weiss.2 I don't know why that is. I handed Prof. Roth an envelope,3 to put him in a favorable mood, but the contents were wasted. I naturally refused to give a testimonial of any kind.
I know, of course, that things aren't connected with these people or the experiments with them. But I wouldn't build anything at all on them. Rank and Sachs even think that a system of acoustic aids comes into consideration, and the man can't, in fact, be silenced. He regularly utters sounds when the word is shown him, and in that respect he makes himself very suspicious. Seeing doesn't seem to play any role. Both requirements that he makes, not to put him very far away from his wife and to maintain absolute silence, really speak in favor of what Rank and Sachs think. In the absence of the phenomenon, all our attempts at explanation were, of course, dropped; but I also ask you, who have had more success, to check your experiences with him and not make them the basis of your publication.
Rank also intends to write to you about this. We are all now in favor of reversing our thrust. I still like both of my prophecies and along with them Gisirma (not Vilirma).4
Kind regards, in expectation of news from you,
Yours,
Freud
My best to Frau G.