Summary
In recent years, it has been a routine practice in the psychiatric and psychosomatic clinics and wards of the Cincinnati General Hospital to ask patients directly for their earliest childhood memories. It has been the writers' experience that—when the memories are analyzed within a psychoanalytic conceptual framework —they may provide meaningful information about unconscious conflicts, significant traumatic experiences in childhood, defenses against anxiety and transference reactions. Although such data can be obtained in other ways, it is often promptly available in the earliest memories and thus helpful in the early formulation of a case. Case material illustrating the utility of the earliest memory is presented.
This communication is the initial report of a more extensive clinical study of earliest memories.
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References
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The writers wish to express appreciation to Dr. I. Arthur Mirsky, Dr. Henry D. Lederer, Dr. Stanley L. Block and other senior staff members and junior house officers of the department of psychiatry, University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine, and Cincinnati General Hospital, for helpful critical suggestions and access to case material.
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Kahana, R.J., Weiland, L.H., Snyder, B. et al. The value of early memories in psychotherapy. Psych Quar 27, 73–82 (1953). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01562476
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01562476