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Abby, Patrick, and Dan return to the first case study in Studies On Hysteria (1895). But while previously they examined the case of “Anna O.” as told narrowly by Josef Breuer on his own terms, this time they tell the story of the remarkable woman behind it: Bertha Pappenheim. They begin by addressing how the legend of a “hysterical pregnancy” came to overshadow the “Anna O.” case history, and how that apocryphal tale was the product of squabbles and mythmaking involving Freud, his biographers, his students, and his opponents. Next, they turn to the story of Bertha Pappenheim herself, focusing first on the actual details of her treatment with Breuer as well as her subsequent mental health history. Then, they unpack her incredible achievements beyond her time with Breuer. It’s a wide-ranging, continent-spanning, and ocean-crossing story of activism, authorship, and intellectual influence, tying together political themes of social work, German feminism, Jewish anti-Zionism, and more.

***Ordinary Unhappiness is shifting to three episodes a month during summer 2025 due to health reasons – but Patreon subscribers will still get two exclusive episodes per month, including the Standard Edition series and Wild Analysis! Find us at https://www.patreon.com/OrdinaryUnhappiness

Have you noticed that Freud is back? Got questions about psychoanalysis? Or maybe you’ve traversed the fantasy and lived to tell the tale? Leave us a voicemail! (646) 450-0847

A podcast about psychoanalysis, politics, pop culture, and the ways we suffer now. New episodes on Saturdays. Follow us on social media:

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