From the Unconscious to the Conscious 



notion of its unity and the possibility of control over 

 the psychic whole. Now it is a commonplace fact that 

 this integrity of states of consciousness coexists with 

 the disappearance of the synthetic unity and the central- 

 ising directive power. 



The diminution or the disappearance of control 

 by the Self is the fundamental fact in all supernormal 

 psychology and of all the psychological anomalies which 

 nevertheless coexist with the unimpaired anatomo- 

 physiological condition of the nerve-centres. 



Whether we consider a pure neurosis such as hysteria, 

 or insanity, or double personality, or mediumship, the 

 first fact observed is always the disappearance of the 

 control and centralising direction of the Self. In hysteri- 

 form disturbances and in dementia, the states of con- 

 sciousness are intact and remain so for long periods; 

 the faculties, taken separately, are not affected memory, 

 imagination, feelings, etc. . . . are the same, but the 

 central direction is replaced by anarchy or polyarchy. 



In hypnosis, double personality and mediumship, 

 we find that faculties and knowledge, and the most varied 

 states of consciousness in fact all the mental sequences 

 persist integrally. But here also the habitual central 

 direction by the Self has disappeared and is replaced 

 by a heterogeneous direction. In a word, the states 

 of consciousness, faculties, and knowledge can be 

 dissociated and separated from that which is essential 

 in the Self the consciousness of its unity and reality. 



Therefore the Self is distinct from the constituent 

 states which represent it. 



The most typical phenomenon from this point of 

 view is that of alterations of personality. These modi- 

 fications of the personality prove two things : 



I. The existence of mental groups of stratification, 

 as Jastrow 1 puts it, constituting as many 

 subconscious formations. 



1 Jastrow : La Subconscience. 

 2l8 



