Trauma and daimonic reality in Ferenczi's later work.
Donald Kalsched
Journal of Analytical Psychology September 2003 DOI: 10.1111/1465-5922.00410 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that Jung's 'archaic' layer and Ferenczi's 'primordial' layer of the psyche are parallel discoveries, illustrated through Ferenczi's work with Elizabeth Severn ('R. N.'), in which the inner object 'Orpha' appeared during trauma and saved a seed of personality from annihilation. The authors contend that Ferenczi's 'daimonic' object and his notion of a transpersonal immaterial reality link ego-experience with a spiritual/material unity not ordinarily available to consciousness. |
Abstract
Jung and Ferenczi made independent discoveries of an 'archaic' (Jung) or 'primordial' (Ferenczi) layer of the psyche that shone through the 'basic fault' in the psyche opened by childhood trauma. This paper explores those parallels through an extended vignette of Ferenczi's work with Elizabeth Severn, known as 'R. N.' in the Clinical Diary. A remarkable inner object known as 'Orpha' appeared in the patient's trauma experience and saved a seed of personality from total annihilation. Ferenczi's speculation about this 'daimonic' object is cited along with his discussion of a transpersonal immaterial reality that Orpha makes visible, and that links the patient's ego-experience with a spiritual/material unity not ordinarily available to consciousness.