(Context – UNFINISHED CASE STUDY- SUSHANT SINGH RAJPUT’S ‘HALLUCINATIONS & KAFKA’S SPELL)
FRANZ KAFKA, METAMORPHOSIS, CRONUS (GOYA) MYTH, SIGMUND FREUD, SUSHANT SINGH
Sushant Rajput’s demise at his Bandra House on 14th June 2020 has stirred up Indian TV Media, Facebook, Twitter Accounts, Social Media and has generated upheaval of sympathy, barrage of hatred against his Fiancée Rhea Chakravarti and debates across India. It has generated very consuming and most insane controversies and debates on Social Media, Political, Social spheres unheard earlier on such issues of Suicide and Drug consumption! The Campaign Named ‘Justice for Sushant’ has been ravaging media houses, stirred up the audience with a nationwide and International cry for ‘Justice’ for SR. At the center stage of the controversy is SR-his fiancée RC relationship which matured over a period of two years from 2018 and ended swiftly on 8th June 2020. Stories around Sushant’s consumption of Drugs against Mental Depression and diseases and have now led to loss of its Focal Point- his Mental Disorders and Treatments!
The controversy and investigation has acquired the status of one of loudest Psycho Dynamic case in Indian history. The Sycophants on Social Media and TV Channels are banging on Prime time and elsewhere to build euphoria over suicide- Drug Controversy. Intensified whipping up of public opinion have overshadowed the fundamental Psychological issues of Sushant as Patient, a victim of familial, social making and grooming. Psychic Depression, Anxiety attacks and Psychic disorders of this brilliant and creative young Actor investigated by Psychiatrists, Clinical Psychologists and Therapists have been relegated to the status of ‘No consequence’ and irrelevant!
SUSHANT’s instagram posts and Tweets as ‘Surface appearances’ of stirrings in his ‘Unconscious”.
SR, the handsome, Intelligent, tall and creative young Actor from Indian Film and other entertainment Industry, has made his mark with bubbling enthusiasm, multiple hobbies and his intense interests in variety of subjects and areas. His trysts with Space Science, watching Stars, astronomical configurations through Telescopes and Binoculars, his Phantasies and Dreams of joining NASA following his film in which he played the role of an Astronaut one day or other, his Gymnastic and Sports achievements are subject of portrayals of his leaps into ‘Unknown’. His love for reading Habits of books like those of Khalil Gibran, Reader of Scientific Literature, Philosophical Books of Nitchze, Vincent Van Gogh, Jean Paul Sartre, Franz Kafka’s Trial, ‘Kafka on the Shores’ by Haruki Murakamir (World Fantasy Award Winner Book) , reading Quantum Physics, Joel C. Rosenberg, M.C. Escher’s mathematical graphic Arts, etc are indicators of his intellectual inquisitiveness and struggles he was engrossed into!
His Telefilms, Kis Dessh Me Hai Mera Dil, Pavitra Rishta, Jhara Nachke Dikha, etc. from 2008 to 2013 and Filmography – ‘Kai Poche’, Shudha Desi Romane, M.S. Dhoni, Rabta, Sonchiriya, Dil Bechara, few Musical Dramas, Science Fiction Films in span of last just seven years have been projected as appearance of New Rising Star on Hindi Film Industry. His Instagram posts and few events disclosed by Psychiatrists and Rhea Chakravarti however show the ‘other side’, sinking gloomy status of his Psyche and reveal as surface appearances of his stirrings in his ‘Unconscious”. Psychiatrists and Therapists treating him have attempted to explore the integral relationship between his Depression and Drug consumption.
We are confronted with his personal History, a Brilliant Student who fared very well in 2003 Delhi Engineering entrance examination, scored 7th All India ranking. It is strange that as a brilliant Engineering student of Delhi College of Engineering, a Mechanical Engineering and even who got scholarship from Stanford University, decides to drop out from Third Year of his Engineering and decides to peruse his career in theatre, Dance and latter in Film Industry
Complexities pertaining to his depression, ‘High Pitch to Ebbs”, in his psychic life comes in to light and focus when we listen to his suppressed woos with loss of his beloved mother ‘USHA SINGH” in 2002. His adoration and intimate relationships with Females one after other since 2010 till 2020 and which was in due course accompanied by his consumption of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances is complex. Appearance of his bouts of Depressions, Anxiety, psychic disorders , his treatments to overcome these mental agonies and finally leading to ending this precious life on 14th June 2020. This resultant act of desperation, when he confronted his ‘own life’ as ‘insurmountable wall’, is confessed by him in his ‘Kafkasque’ Instagram posting! All these ups and ups and sudden down, deserves attention by disciplines engaged in treatment of Mental Disorders and psychic fluctuations. It finally remains a ‘Case study’ unattended and deserves to be of prime concern amidst current ruthless and irrelevant debates!
Insights into SR’s Day Dreams, Fears, Anxieties- Loss of Mother
SR’s Psychic and Physical energies ran from Sky High to the Underground Low and so his mood! It is interesting to note that at times he has been occasionally sharing on Media his Distorted, condensed and strange visions and fantasies residing & emanating from his Unconscious. His high flying fantasies like Flying Planes, Workshops at NASA , Charting trajectories to Moon, MARS, JUPITOR and drive through ‘Blue Hole’, emerging as Tennis Champion and a great Gymnast, Meditation, Learn Vedic Astrology, Learn Hundred Dance Forms, Visiting Antarctica, Shooting at active Volcano, Play his favorite songs on Guitar, Making Documentary on Swami Vivekananda, Travelling entire Europe by Train, so on so forth! It is tragic that the Actor’s Gloomy, lonely isolated life and sufferings have been overshadowed by such escalating Fantasies.
As opposed to this high level of Psychical elevation, he suffered on the other hand from depression of high order may be from 2012- 13 or may be from much earlier. As per his Psychiatrists, Clinical therapists and others have, to certain extent, brought forward his agonies and deepest sufferings! His isolation from the world of Arts, Cinema and social life from the date of COVID 19 Lockdown victimized him to fall into or threw him into the Underground recesses, ‘Rat Hole’ of his Psyche.
Here depth Psychology may be able to provide glimpses into what was vibrating underneath his psychic Phantasies! It may assist us to interpret the deeper meanings of the manifest images which he has spilled out on Instagrams. In every respect SR emerges as a Phantasiser, with creative Imagination and A Fantastic Dreamer! What affected him the most in his life was of course loss of his beloved Mother ‘USHA SINGH”! Trajectory of SR’s Up and down movements, both, are all well rooted in loss of his beloved mother in 2002, in his tin age and his father- son estrangement in psychic life. We can begin to lean into the bottoms of his depressions and phantasies. Mother’s loss at tender Age was the severest blow to Sushant (SR) and the major trigger for his depression and grief. It is also stated that he had estranged relationship with father and their communications ran at very low ebb as per Psychiatrists. His First Co-star- Jacqueline Fernandez says that he used to get emotional when subject of his mother use to crop up in any discussions. He was devastated by loss of his mother. He use to split his name as ‘S ‘USHA’ Nt (Not there-End) ’s . He shared a loving note in the memory of his late mother, on social media. His poetic verses dipped in intense emotions are gripping and inevitably stir up the bottoms of the psyche, hearts and intellect of the readers! Somewhere he says, “I was a wide-eyed boy from Patna in Delhi, befitting the typical hero. It was the first day of college. The stage was set for me to bump into the heroine. But where was she?” It only means he was looking out for Females as his ‘Mother Substitute”.
“As long as you were there, I was, now just in your memories, I am alive,
Like a Shadow, like a Flicker, Time doesn’t move here, It is beautiful, It is forever”.
Again in poetic verses on 9th June 2020, he portrays his depression, struggle and surging of his buried past of over one and half decade distant, repressed past, and tormenting him day and night. Most importantly he had become victim of his these Images! It is now impossible to recollect stream of incoherent dreams, he must have articulated and addressed and each ending with passions for his lost mother…
As a Poet he weeps in dark shadows on instagrams-
“Blurred past evaporating from teardrops, Unending dreams carving an arc of smile
And a fleeting life, negotiating between the two … Maa.” (Mint- June 3, 2020)
Hallucinatory Symptoms – ‘Oedipal Situation’ or Power of Despotic Tyrant?
His Fiancée Rhea Chakravarti has spelt out one of Sushant Singh’s experience, horrifying memory, during their stay in October 2019, in ITALLY. Sushant Rajput looked at the painting of Francisco Goya’s (Spanish Artist which portrays the Myth who, fearing that he would be overthrown by one of his children, [1] ate each one of them after their Births) ‘Saturn (Kronus or Cronus), “THE OLD MAN, devouring his Child / Son’” which left him shaken up. It was 600 Year Old, Heritage Hotel in Florence Italy, during Europe trip. It was on the backdrop of Huge Rooms displaying old paintings by Artists on the walls in the room. On return Rhea Chakravarti found Sushant terrified and was chanting some ‘Mantras’ (incantations) using a Rudraksha, and looked visibly shaken up. That Night, she says SR was hallucinating about the painting. It appears to be coming close to Hallucinatory Paranoia! However It needs to be addressed closely. The Painting represents the EMASCULATION (Castration) of son. The Hallucination and the freight, which make perceptible appearance or representation of Complex well rooted into the deepest layer of his unconscious psyche!.
Hallucinations are very similar to dreams, flashing out like tremors representing a psychotic state with ‘complete lack of time sense’. In this process, repressed unconscious thoughts are transformed predominantly into visual images. In Sigmund Freud’s view hallucinations named as ‘Regressive excitations’, represent surging upwards from preconscious or unconscious material and appearing in the ‘consciousness’ in symbolic forms, as response to certain events or situation during the waking stage. They may articulate Guilt Feelings’, or ‘fulfillment of desires”. They have psychodynamic significance and occur with delusions and represent psychotic state of mind. Such unconscious thought processes and ideas waiting for expressions find out such routes of expressions! Here have varieties of theories and Hypotheses based on specific case histories and may need supportive or contradicting the event narrative.
This brings us into the arena of Archaic Myths and Mythologies of the primal times of the Human race residing within our psyche. Cronus or Kronus was warned by the prophesy that he would be dethroned by his own son. In order to avoid this fate, the old father God swallowed each of his children as they were born. However when he sought to swallow this youngest child Zeus like the rest, Zeus was saved by the craft of his mother and later on, castrated his father. Sigmund Freud incorporates it in his Interpretation of Dreams to highlight the Powers of Archaic Myths in the deepest layers of our Psychic life of our social orders. Our entire Civilization has been built on the Power of Despotic “Father who ruled in the ancient family life and resurrected in the Modern Life in modern Forms of Authoritarian Rulers. In IOD, Sigmund Freud refers to identical Greek Myth which tells how Kronos, the old Father God, swallowed his sons”. He goes on, “the more must the son have taken the position of an enemy” and says “Even in our own middle-class family father commonly fosters the growth of the germ of hatred which is naturally inherent in the paternal relation”, (Freud- IOD) P 235 IOD Sigmund Freud). Psychoanalytic Discovery of ‘Father Son’ Conflict, or Oedipal Complex’ and its sexual grounds or roots of this conflict and Authoritative role of father appear in visual forms in Dreams, Phantasasies and paranoiac Hallucinations. These regressions—that is, thoughts transformed into images, intimately linked with memories of even minor curses by father in childhood that have been suppressed or repressed or have remained unconscious resulting into occurrence of hallucinatory psychoses.
Sushant Rajput’s freight only indicates such illusory perceptions, phenomena of hallucinations resembling Day- dreams or may be psychotic state! We may wonder whether the sight of GOYA’s painting he was tormented and terrified by his imagined curse of father and Father’s anger at the sight of being in company with most disliked, hated Female- Rhea Chakravarti? Even memory of a minor event of inviting father’s ire in Childhood could have triggered or stirred up such fear! Whatever that is forgotten from remote past comes alive as in Dreams and Imaginations as Symptoms, symbols and Images perceived and which take hold of the ‘consciousness’.
In Article named, “Hallucinations: Etiology and clinical implications” published in ‘Industrial Psychiatry Journal (July – Dec. 2009) the Authors –Santosh Kumar, Subhash Soren and Suprakash Chaudhary reiterate Sigmund Freud’s position on Hallucination: Outline Freud’s Psychodynamic Approach-from “Interpretation of Dreams”-
- Freud felt that hallucinations are very similar to dreams and that both conditions represent a psychotic state in which there is a complete lack of time sense
- Hallucinations often occurring with delusions during psychotic states may represent the concrete symbolic expression of delusional ideas that are seeking other routes of expression.
There are number of alternate hypothesis which can be articulated and medications are proposed! However definitely confirms Psychopathological Condition of Patient.
Above three Authors have however stated that “Assessing cultural background in the evaluation of hallucination is important as the concept of reality varies across cultures and there is a possibility of culturally sanctioned hallucination”. It is also now known that Sushant Singh Rajput opted for Psychiatric treatment in 2013 (As per displayed records on Web) however showed vacillations throughout for last few years in getting fully treated and might have simultaneously opted for Narcotic Drugs which only added to his woos in the long run. We understand from public statement of Suzanne Walker, his psycho- therapist consultant, claiming that “he was suffering from this disease for the past 20 years, after the death of or loss of his mother and was suffering from bipolar disorder and that his condition had worsened in October 2019 and was haunted by Suicidal thoughts”!
Interpretations of SR’s Kafka’s Nightmarish ‘Oedipal Complex”
It is one more wonder that SR the youngster recollects and identifies himself and his current situation with the Protagonists of the great Novels of ‘Franz Kafka’ (1883-1934). Franz Kafka lived with Chronic Suicidal Tendencies from 1912 and who died at his Age of Forty One. His ‘Unpublished works are well rooted in Anxiety and extreme alienation and his characters pictured as struggling through absurd situations. Did SR finds himself in same situation, being subjected to ‘Trial’, charged with Crime like it was in KAFKA’s most famous and brilliant novel, ‘The Trial’ or did he see in Franz Kafka Image of himself? Or was he reminded of KAFKA’s final, last works, the ‘METAMORPHOSIS’ in which he finds himself transformed, METAMORPHOISED’ in to an ‘Insect’. Gregor Samsa, the protagonist in METAMORPHOSIS, when awoke one morning from troubled dreams, found himself changed into a monstrous cockroach in his bed! Or did SR also project in ‘Cockroach’ Image his own illogical, Nightmarish, complex situation and his thought processes?
Further we are reminded that KAFKA had very estranged relationship with his tyrannical, abusive Father and incidentally was engaged with several females but never married. He was pre-occupied by sex. Was he reminded of KAFKA who struggled with his diseases or was hounded in his psyche by ‘Disha Salian’s Death when he writes “In the fight between you and the world, back the world”- #kafka #kafkaesque,” (Means Surreal World in which your ‘SELF’ disintegrates, shatters and you do not stand a chance) By identifying himself with KAFKA was SR articulating his Dream Sequence of Father – Son Conflict- intensified? Isn’t it that there must be thousands and lacs of Indian children which at latter stage of their youth realize themselves as victims of the ‘Patriarchy’. It is noteworthy that Strained Father- Son relationship was the vortex theme of KAFKA’s METAMORPHOSIS, to find himself turned into big Insect- Cocroach?
SR’s well known instagram found Quotes from Franz Kafka- ‘He who seeks does not find, but he who does not seek will be found”. It continues, “Back then in class 11… I fell into the rabbit hole…
Of consuming a lot of Kafka’s work like Metamorphosis… The trial…and others. Basically Kafka ideas are so smart at alluring you that …” and “You are Worthless Cockroach which sooner or later this world will Smash”. His postings are pointers to the Psychic Conflicts within his repressed Unconscious and which were frequently inflamed by Circumstances and exploding as Day- Dreams, Hallucinations and freights!
In Kafka’s METAMORPHOSIS Gregore’s Father, the old man is retired and financially dependent on Gregore. And the dutiful humble son toils to support Gregor’s father the old man and retired. Gregor’s mother also doesn’t work, and his sister, Grete, is too young to get a job, so the whole family. In this story with unfathomable emotional dip he shows the stress and pressure. His father’s disapproval of Kafka’s engagement with Julie Wohryzek, (like that in case of Rhea Chakravarti) a relationship that wouldn’t have resulted into Wedding hits him hard and makes him land into traumatic situation! It needs Psychiatrists and Psychoanalysts to uncover the layers of insurmountable repressions by collecting ……… and Sushant’s to and fro, Upward and Downward to overcome at one point and finally compelling force to make him sink into this ‘Rabbit Hole”.
Another aspect is SR’s immense vacillation – a spurt and burst of Creativity which we have summarized in the first segment of the article, and immense devastating fall into state of depression, his vacillations, his sever psychic UPS and DOWNS and struggles to express. He was knee dip engrossed into existential questions. His struggles, he compares them or identifies in certain sense to those of Franz Kafka. We do not know whether Sushant’s Diaries, if they exist, can be useful for interpretations by Psychotherapists to decipher his day dreams, Symptoms, Dreams and Phantasies and life experiences and interpret them in details. In absence of such works we can only have some guess work and glimpses in to his psyche. In absence of it and in view of lack of SR’s dreams or Phantasy material we cannot pursue further or to go beyond to understand how and to what extent he struggled to overpower his Oedipal Situation.
As an alternative to Psychological treatment Sushant resorted to drug consumption and his drug consumption cannot be considered as an enigma considering his Psychic vacillations, his moods and energy levels. But it is worthwhile to note that Drugs like Heroin, Cocaine etc. were introduced as Medicine in way back in 1860’s as ‘Anti Depression’ Medicine and was discarded as Therapy in late 1890’s after realization of ugliest and disastrous fall outs. Sushant’s vacillations only reveal his ‘Non Knowledge’ and ignorance of lethal drug impacts
We have so far highlighted the observations by Therapist on Usage of Medicines for SR’s treatment of depression, anxiety and existential crisis! On one hand his Instagram Posts on Franz Kafka and — articulations demonstrates the intrinsic Conflicts of Father and Son embedded in the depth of his psyche. On the other hand the Italy event of October 2019, and his reaction at the sight of Francisco Goya’s ‘Saturn (Kronus or Cronus) devouring his Child / Son’ left him shaken up indicates the Hallucinatory Paranoia and ‘REGRESSION’ in visible light. It takes us down into the realms of Unconscious where the primal ‘Father Son’ conflict experiences exists in reified forms, buried under psychic repressions. The hallucination at the sight of painting which makes him terrified at the sight of Father devouring son, and provides us insights into his depth psychology. Number of parallels conceived by Sushant Singh Rajput between his own life and that of FRANZ Kafka’s ascendance, Sexual life of both, suicidal tendencies and even the father’s hatred towards the Fiancées (—- & RC) each of them lived with! It provides insights into the stirrings and Sushant’s failure to overcome or struggle with the ‘Despot’ residing in his psyche.
Thus with GOYA episode and secondly comparing himself with worthless cockroach’ being smashed and “I fell into the rabbit hole’ brings out the experience of suffocation felt by him and caught up, in his ‘Self’ entrapped in deepest Psychic layer. One is reminded of Dostoevsky’s ‘Underground Man’ but with a difference that Sushant has not undertaken ‘Self Search’, is unable to communicate with Treating Doctor, who has given up the struggle for expression’, who does not find ways and means to express and communicate to readers” on instagram and social media, a lost case or disintegration of ‘Self’ (KAFKASQUE). His case ends.
SR was either administered or he willingly consumed Drugs, like Mirjana, Cocaine or Weed, to overcome his (Disastrous) Depression and Anxiety. Cocaine, has been regarded as the blessing, as the most popular Medicine and Drug by Individuals, social groups to overcome, gloom, depression anxieties and various depressive psychic states by Indians across social layers for centuries together. It is now banned after realization of large scale disastrous impact on Mental and Physical health. These Drugs have been popular and used in all cultures in India and more so in festivals and celebrations also. It is the destroyer and now regarded as banned Narcotic substance is product of India (Coca Leaf) which became popular universally on its export to USA, EUROPE, and AFRICA through Indian labor in Portugal and elsewhere, in 17th and 18th century. I will like to trace the Historical developmental process of therapy for treatment of Mental Depression and disorders
Historical Phases- Freud’s Giant Leap from Cocaine Therapy to Revolutionary Psychotherapy.
The use of Cocaine as ‘Anti Depression’ agent by Sushant Singh or by others should not be considered as Enigma. It must be noted that Cocaine Therapy came into being as Medicine and Drug to treat severe depression, existential crisis and the disaster’. Readers will be surprised to note that it’s one of the few Key Research Doctors in 1870s, which discovered it as Medical Drug / Medicine was none other than young Neurologist Dr. Sigmund Freud who latter emerged as founder of Psychoanalysis! The medicine based on Cocaine became popular as Analgesics and Euphoric Medicine and in Eye Surgeries of cataract extraction and iridectomy (membrane behind cornea of the eye). It was used as common household products and was used also for throat lozenges. In 1884, Freud. published a Medical Paper when he was working as ‘Clinical Neurologist’ to highlight its applications for treatment in Surgeries as local and analgesic (Illustration:- Eye surgeries), Nerve Blocks and for ‘low moods’, depression and ‘morphine addiction’! It was welcomed as a breakthrough medicine. He experimented its usage on himself also as testing ground with excellent results when used in small quantities! One can refer to efforts made by various Medical researchers in Europe to discover medical properties as ‘Anti Depression’ medicine. It is noteworthy that Greats such as Sherlock Homes & Sigmund Freud both were fascinated in their earlier career in 1880’s by euphoric properties of the coca leaf as psychic drug or medicine.
In Interpretation of Dreams, (Published- 1899-1900) we find his Critical Review and extensive discussions on the subject Cocaine Therapy and why it was abandoned. Publication of his First Paper on Cocaine in 1884 (Sigmund was 28 years old) and who had Qualified as Doctor in 1881- Vienna) his recommendation to use Cocaine as Medicine, his use of cocaine with Anesthetic Properties of cocaine, He also discusses Dream symbolism of cocaine, Freud’s Father’s Glaucoma and Cocaine’s successful use on it for cure, its usage for Nasal Swellings and latter his own discoveries of damaging effects of Cocaine etc. However its medicinal properties to overcome mental depression and a medicine against various mental issues were appreciated internationally till End of 1990s. Freud admits at length the disastrous repercussions of use, rather its excessive use / misuse of cocaine including resultant deaths.
It proved to be double edged substance- weapon, a Medicine, Therapy and a disaster as well!
Pharmaceutical Use of Cocaine, Cocaine: Circa- 1860 t0 1900, Chocolate Coated Tablets
From 1860 to 1900 Cocaine was used as pharmaceutical Miracle medicine by Mark Merck while Park Davis manufactured cocaine, even as Injections in Blood vessels as remedy for morphine addicts, as Analgesic during Surgeries and operations, even for blood vessels bleeding, fatigue, nervous disorders etc. It was advertised as Medicine which can make the coward brave, the silent eloquent. Only in 1914 US made it illegal once it’s lethal, subversive effects, vulnerability and fatality of human life were universally recognized for treating mental Anxieties and Physical illnesses. In few countries it is still used as medicines with restrictions.
In fact one of Sigmund Freud’s friend who used cocaine died in 1891 by excess usage of Cocaine and Freud fully stopped it prescribing as medicine as Doctor, as well as his self experimentation from 1895-96! We can very well imagine the fall out of Anti Depression Drugs in case of Sushant Singh Rajput and others as well. It is known that Drugs such as amphetamines, cocaine, LSD also leads to experiencing Hallucinations. Chemical Analysis latter revealed what impact Psychoactive, stimulant Element (Like Caffeine) and Poisonous Elements (Strychnine ) result into.
BRIEFS ON- FREUDIAN METHOD OF INTERPRETATIONS –DREAM WISH AND HALLUCINATION.
Well, in this case we will in very brief sum up Freudian Method of treatment of Patients undergoing Mental disorders in his ground breaking Treaty, ‘Interpretation of Dreams’, with a focus on Process of Enquiry which drives towards Patient’s liberation from mental disorders.
Freud revolutionized the Method of Treatment of Patients with his two significant works- Studies on Hysteria (1895) and subsequently Interpretation of Dreams (1899-1900). The resultant method, Freud’s treatment of Mental illnesses can be identified as Analyst aided ‘Self analysis” of Patients. It is regarded as an Epochal Breakthrough in the Footsteps of Hegel’s Phenomenology or Karl Marx’s ‘Capital”.
Psychoanalysis works through communication and dialogue between a patient and a psychoanalyst. It is defined as interpretation in which the Clinical Psychologist engages himself in dialogue with the Patient and remains just one step ahead of Patient. I will like to provide Gist of the process of Psychoanalytic Interpretation below to differentiate it as Revolutionary Process’.
It works on Narrative by Patient, as part of Talking Cure, a process of Decoding method of Interpretation of the thoughts, symbols, images, dreams, phantasies and articulation, by treating it as ‘Manifest Content”, which is very very insignificant and small portion of what lies in the depth of Psyche. The method is aimed at reaching into depths of Psycho-Pathological structures, phobias, puzzles, fears.
It treats dreams and hallucinations as symptoms, and trains the patient to increase in the attention he Pays to his own psychical perceptions and the elimination of the criticism exercised through ‘psychic censorship’ which he suppresses his own thoughts. This allows the burst of ideas into his consciousness and relaxation of the watch (Censorship) on the gates of ‘Reason’ (Freud compares it with poetic creations of Fredric Schiller) Patient is prompted through suggestions to probe deep downward into his thought processes through layers of repressions into realms of the latent thought processes suppressed. What instigates the ‘Dreaming’ is the attempt to fulfill the ‘Dream wish’, by creating appropriate situation. Most of the time it is infantile wish which deceives the ‘Censorship’ relaxed during night hours to assert itself. Psychoanalyst discovers this ‘wish’.
It meets with the The technique is called as ‘Free Association’ and the process passes through disclosures, , resolution of conflicts. Analyst thus succeeds in deciphering the entire process of how the ‘Symptoms’, Dreams’ Hallucination’ make their appearance in the consciousness as manifest content from the vast unfathomable raw material of the ‘latent thought processes’ residing in ‘Unconscious’. Freud terms this as ‘Analysis’ through ‘Synthesis’. Doctor/ Analyst thus succeeds in ‘reconstructing’ the visible ‘symptoms’ expressed in the consciousness through strange multiple processes named Distortions, Condensation, Deviations, Inversions, compounding etc. Karl Marx’s discovers such identical process in ‘Capital’ which he defines as ‘Inversion’ or Fetishistic’ Representation. These are called Laws of thoughts, Associations, Reproduction, of Expressions. In case of Dreams, Sigmund Freud calls or defines them as ‘Dream Work’. Interpretation takes exactly the opposite route of ‘Dream work’. This is since in Freud’s words, “only a few elements from the latent thoughts in distorted form find their way into the dream-content,” (IN IOD he names it as ‘Dream Work”.
Here it is important to reiterate the truth in the above referred Article- the Article “Hallucinations: Etiology and clinical implications” and highlight further. In New Introductory Lectures, Freud says, “the dream-work consists essentially in the transformation of thoughts into a hallucinatory experience”. In 1917, Sigmund Freud one again published Article- ‘Metapsychological Supplement to the Theory of Dreams’, which primarily discusses about ‘hallucinations’. Freud says, ‘Dream wish is hallucinated, and as ‘hallucination, meets with the belief in reality of its fulfillment”. Here he proposes to “compare dreams with pathological states akin to them’. Further he says’ “The formation of wishful phantasy and its regression to hallucination are the most essential parts of the ‘dream work’ , but they do not belong exclusively to dreams. They are also in two morbid states in acute hallucinatory confusion and hallucinatory stage of schetzophrenia. Here Sushant Rajput’s case could have been pursued by the Psychotherapists treating his ‘Pathological State’.
SIGMUND FREUD INTERPREATS HIS ‘OEDIPAL SITUATION’- ‘REVOLUTIONARY DREAM’
In all respect and all episodes posted by Sushant Singh Rajput leads to a strong possibility that he was caught up in Oedipal Situation and sacrificed his pursuit to find way out to get over his depression by embracing drugs consumption resulting into death. In number of respects he appears to have been caught up in Kafkasque situation. All episodes of Sushant’s Hallucinations and freight after seeing the GOYA painting, loss of his mother and estranged relationships with father all induce us to Re-visit FREUD’s IOD and relevant ‘Self Analysis’ and revelations of his own ‘Oedipus Complex’ in interpretation of Dreams’ from his Epochal Discovery in specific his ‘Revolutionary Dream’. In the Self Analysis’, he digs into infantile sources of Dreams.
Interpretation of Dreams remains the Foundation Stone of Freud’s Subsequent Achievement. It provided him to face troubled Life from rise of ‘Austrian- Nazi’- Anti Semitism’ from 1880’s to rise of Nazism! In the worst period of Human History, it was daring and courage on part of Freud to begin his interpretation of this ‘Revolutionary Dream’ against the contemptuous behavior of Count Thun heading the Authoritarian State to send his “Interpretation of Dreams’ for publication in 1899. This was the period in History when Anti- Semitism was at Peak and to speak out and narrate in implicit retaliation against the Aristocratic Authority. The Dream which begins with Freud’s angry response to Count Thun’s remarks with Freud’s identification of himself with Adold Fischhof’ the student leader of 1848 revolution Freud lands into the final Episode on the railway Platform. I will however restrict myself to bring out few noteworthy points having bearing on Segment of Freud’s narration of Personal History brought out for Public Gaze.
Interpretation of ‘Revolutionary Dream’ (Material Sources of Dreams) remains one of the exhaustive Interpretation which takes the readers in steps to the Final Episode and Scene on the Platform from which it receives its basic meaning and where in Freud resolves the Enigma of Oedipus Situation of his own. I am referring to the extracts and excerpts of this dream only in order to highlight the Primal Conflict between Father and the Son! What Freud reaches into arena of what triggered this Dream
The Final Scene reads as, “Once more I was in front of the station, but this time in the company of
An elderly gentleman”, “He appeared to be blind, at all events with one eye, and I handed him a male glass urinal (which we had to buy or had bought in town). So I was a sick-nurse and had to give him the urinal because he was blind. If the ticket-collector were to see us like that, he would be certain to let us get away without noticing us. Here the man’s attitude and his micturating penis appeared in plastic form. This was the point at which I awoke, feeling a need to micturate”. Freud recalls two episodes of his childhood in which his father had reprimanded him for ‘Urinating’ in Parent’s bed. Second the little Freud tearing the pages of Colored book and reprimanded by the insensitive father, cursing him, ‘This boy will come to nothing”. “This must have been a frightful blow to my ambition’- Sigmund Freud says. Also these scenes were constantly recurring in Freud’s dreams. In revolutionary dream Freud reversed the situation, interchanging of the roles. Instead of strong father reprimanding him here the strong son helped the week Father. The elderly man Blind in one eye He appeared to be blind, at all events with one eye, and I handed him a male glass urinal. So I was a sick-nurse and had to give him the urinal because he was blind”.
“The older man (clearly my father, since his blindness in one eye referred to his unilateral glaucoma), was now micturating in front of me, just as I had in front of him in my childhood. In the reference to his glaucoma I was reminding him of the cocaine, which had helped him in the operation [Refers to Freud’s Paper on Cocaine Therapy), as though I had in that way kept my promise. Moreover, I was making fun of him; I had to hand him the urinal because he was blind, and I reveled in allusions to my discoveries in connection with the theory of hysteria, of which I felt so proud.
Freud took the intellectual revenge against his Father who cursed him, “This boy will come to nothing”. By demonstrating, “I have demonstrated, you are wrong’ by pointing out, his discoveries of Anestitic properties of Cocaine used in Father’s Treatment of Glaucoma and Treatment of Hysteria as his Triumph and Intellectual Vengeance against Father! What triggered the Dream was Father’s curse “This Boy will come to nothing”. Freud’s ‘Dream wish’ thus fulfilled! It is noteworthy that such memories when they slip into consciousness are capable of producing / creating hallucinations and Dreams. At the end of this chapter Freud quotes the Case study of a Farmer’s 14 years old boy who’s father had divorced mother and brought in New female as his wife. The Boy’s suppressed Rage against father at the sight of Sickle resulted into articulation of stream of similar images identical to those in Mythology of Kronus -Zeus who emasculated his father with sickle!
! In doing so he resolves the meaning of Myths and Legends, the same Myth to which Sushant Singh had fallen Prey to and went into terrible Freight. Where Freud overcomes ‘Oedipus Complex”, Sushant Rajput takes to freight, gets tormented and regresses in to ‘Unconscious State’, hallucinates. In Carl E. Schorske’s words, “ Freud adumbrated his mature Political theory, the central Principle of which is that all Politics is reducible to primal conflict between father and Son. ——– patricide replaces Regicide , Psychoanalysis overcomes history. Politics is neutralized by Counterpolitical psychology”.
As quoted in the Article above, “Hallucinations: Etiology and clinical implications’ which spells out FREUD’s Psychodynamic approach which treats Hallucination as psychotic state in which there is a complete lack of time sense” . Also, “Freud felt that hallucinations are very similar to dreams and that both conditions represent a psychotic state in which there is a complete lack of time sense”. I have treated Sushant’s Hallucination at the sight of Goya’s Cronus Paintings appears to be the NADIR Point of his depression like ‘Oedipal Dream’’. It holds two inverse resultants of ‘Oedipus Situations”.
The unfinished Case History and ‘Justice for Sushant Singh!
Here finally the case ends ‘unfinished’, not ‘carried forward’ by switching over from ‘Drug Therapy’ to Clinical Psychological Treatment. Here his identity with Kafka ends since despite Depression and illness out of loneliness and suicidal inclinations, FRANZ KAFKA says’ “My peers, lately, have found companionship through means of intoxication–it makes them sociable. I, however, cannot force myself to use drugs to cheat on my loneliness”. Where KAFKA put an end, Sushant Rajput continued as means of ‘self sustenance’. Sussane Walker, his clinical psychologist, claimed that SR was under her treatment on Multiple Occasions in second half of 2019 and he was victim of Bipolar disorder for almost last 20 years” which corresponds to demise o S’USHA’-NT’ in 2002! She says, “Sushant was suffering from bipolar disorder, a severe mental illness that can be crippling for an individual during an episode. The symptoms of which can include severe anxiety, Hallucinations, major depression and sometimes disordered thinking and paranoia”. She claimed that he was ‘Internally disintegrated”. In Psychoanalytic terms it boils down to ID becoming paralyzed and becomes powerless to steer through the crisis and support Ego in the articulation of his drives into linguistic conscious articulations”. She says SR narrated her childhood experiences as being teased and he was close to his mother and not his father”. Dr. Kesri Chavada the other well known Psychotherapist also dwells on this topic and had some glimpses in to SR’s psychic struggles with his own conscience and resulting crumbling! Alas very little is in public domain other than the Instagram postings and tweets which provides his encounters with ‘inner self’ identical to Protagonist of ‘of Franz Kafka’s Trial. At latter stage these Psychiatrists cum Therapists Can provide analysis of his symptoms, phantasies, and his spoken interactions with them and can write better case study for the benefit of those suffering and are victims of mental illness and can carry out his Psychoanalysis. Probably Psychoanalytic Therapy could have provided ‘Justice for Sushant Rajput”
There are no dearths of events precipitating Sushant’s demise on 9th June 2020 , It could be blocking his prospects with troubled professional life with loss of Seven Films in course of preceding months or it could be unimaginable isolation compelled by Covid 19 or may be that he failed to find ‘Mother Substitute’ in the Females he lived with etc. However in all respect possibilities the deepest psychical stress accumulated over more than a decade arising out of the ‘oedipal situation’ and ‘hallucinations’ led him to despair. I have outlined only the Hypotheses supported by information from various sources but Freudian Psychoanalysis possess the requisite method and technique of interpretation of Hallucinations and SR’s articulations on social Media. All of them are constructed out of the repressed thought processes as Unfolding or happening of events in imagery forms! It is final waking call to listen to the voice of despair.
Sushant’s demise has become a turning point in Indian History of Psychological Studies as it highlights the dire needs of scientific resurgence of Psychology as Science on far greater magnified scale. Psychology as Scientific discipline has taken complete backseat even in Educational Systems with meager resources of Psychologists and hence is not at all equipped to address to the sufferings on account of repressions fostered by Familial, Socio, Political and historical reason. It calls for massive resurrection of promotion of scientific psychology and which is now merely reversed in the slogan, ‘Justice for Sushant Rajput’ and turned it into ‘Political Agenda” for Repression of ‘Science of psychology”.
Anil Pundlik Gokhale is an Engineer by profession. As a non regular writer on political literature I have always been attempting to integrate Psychology and Marxism. I have recently published books ‘Condensation And Condescension In Dreams And History: Essay – From Sigmund Freud To E P Thompson’ by Author House London. Psychoanalysis & A- Historical Story of GENGHIS KHAN, Author House- London.
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