Delicia Alarcon

dda8357@nyu.edu

Class Response 1: Freud Cathy Caruth Readings

9/18/2023

In reading Freud the first notion that came to mind was the idea of knowing and presence of the trauma or perceived trauma. Despite a patient knowing, remembering, or even understanding the trauma the trauma is inevitably present. Freud states,“Finally, there was evolved the consistent technique used today, in which the analyst gives up the attempt to bring a particular moment or problem into focus. He contents himself with studying whatever is present for the time being on the surface of the patient’s mind, and he employs the art of interpretation” (147). Thus, in order to heal a particular trauma or experience one must bring it to focus and consciousness. Freud goes on to say, “in these processes it particularly could never have been ‘forgotten’ because it was never at any time noticed–was never conscious’ (149). As a result, a particular instance or trauma can not be forgotten or even healed  if it was never noticed or brought into consciousness and conscious awareness. Thus, the first step in individual and collective healing is to bring forth the trauma or instances of trauma, and acknowledge its very existence. To  allow space for the trauma or persons experiences in any given space. Once that is present then healing can take place. Much like the article discusses, the repetition  and later performance of trauma in order to bring forward to create change. Freud explains that if a person can act it out versus remembering it automatically it reproduces it as an action and not memory. He states, “if we confine ourselves to this second type in order to bring out the difference, we may say that the patient does not remember anything of what he has forgotten and repressed, but acts it out. He reproduces it not as a memory but as an action; he repeats it, without of course, knowing that he is repeating it” (150). Similarly, Cathy Caruth discusses the delayed response or recognition of the trauma. She states, “which takes the form of repeated, intrusive hallucinations, dreams, thoughts, or behaviors stemming from the event” (4). The repetition of these events brings up the trauma in a way for it to be acknowledged and contested. It is important to pay attention in order to be able to heal from the trauma that is manifesting itself in the body, in dreams, and another form of arousal or stimuli.