Story of Anna O.:/The

by Lucy Freeman

Anna O. was the cornerstone in the formation of Freud's discoveries & theories--yet he never saw her. He only heard about her in clinical detail from a colleague & friend who had treated & perhaps "cured" her. Grasping the implication of Breuer's revolutionary discovery about the human mind, Freud persuaded Breuer to collaborate with him in the 1st book about psychoanalysis, "Studies on Hysteria", containing Breuer's famous essay on Anna O. On the basis of discoveries inherent in that study, augmented by other experience & knowledge, Freud began to put together a hypothesis about how people get sick emotionally--& how they may get well. Lucy Freeman has taken a famous patient & made that patient come alive, a human being, a distinguished personality whose brief medical history is all that we have known of her until now.

Genres: Nonfiction, Psychology

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1972

About the author

Lucy Greenbaum Freeman was a reporter and an author. Her early coverage of psychiatry and mental health for The New York Times led to wider reporting on the subject. Ms. Freeman persuaded editors to allow coverage of the growth of psychiatry and the preservation of Sigmund Freud's private papers.

She graduated from Vermont's Bennington College with a B.A. in 1938 and was hired by The New York Times in 1940.

Her nonfiction books, ranging from detailed studies of Freud to those exploring sources of anger and anxiety, helped familiarize a popular audience with what had long been a hush-hush practice.

Ms. Freeman's first book, Fight Against Fears, recounted her own experience as a psychoanalysis patient who struggled to overcome her shy, whispery voice and social fears. Published in 1951, the book was in print for 47 years.

Her work earned the Writers Award from the American Psychiatric Association in 1976 and the National Media Award from the Chicago Institute of Psychoanalysis in 1986. Ms. Freeman also wrote 77 other books, including mystery novels and memoirs.

Reviews

[Giu :) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ehm no

È un elenco lunghissimo dei sintomi nevrotici della protagonista, non so come possa essere un romanzo. L'unica cosa carina è la rivelazione dello pseudonimo

[lyndsay ortiz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note: I will be adding an image of my copy soon.

This book might be best enjoyed by those who do not already know of Anna O.'s story, by those who have, perhaps, a passing interest in psychology, or interesting (and fascinating) true stories in general.

You do not need a degree in psychology to enjoy this, because as described in the introduction by Dr. Menninger, "She [Lucy Freeman] does her lay readers a favor..." and I take this to mean that she presents it in a completely readable fashion, just simply a page-turner!

A truly fascinating book.

[Caitlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought it was going to be more about Freud and his process of developing psychoanalysis using the case of Anna O, however this was only a small portion of the book. The book was more about Anna O, which was interesting, but it was not what I was expecting.

[Elizabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

hardcover, very worn dust jacket, dirty page edges; 1972 edition, isbn 080270378x.

[Brigitte · Rating 4 out of 5]

must-read for every Freud follower lol

[Sushmita · Rating 4 out of 5]

an amazing speculation of the undiscovered human mind. Hat's off!