26 March 1934  42 York Terrace  Regents Park NW1

Dear Professor,

«IP4,0»I do not often have occasion to consult you about a patient, let alone a member of your own family.  Yesterday we were in the country and took the opportunity of calling on Lucie«FN1.××Ernst Freud's wife Lucie (née Brasch).» in Yeovil.  I had better give you the full story as I understand it.  On the momentous motor trip she was disturbed by the fact that the man was not able to drive and very apprehensive, with right, about the woman's driving.  She begged a man to take her place in driving, but this could not be done.  Five minutes before the accident she sent off a postcard at a stopping place and thought to herself it would probably be the last postcard she would ever send; I think it was to her mother.  This seems to me already excessive.  When the accident happened she went off into a pleasant dream that everything was all right and she was very happy.  I read this as a strong Reizschutz with vigorous denial of reality, based on the assertion that her infantile fears (? danger from the mother) could never come true in reality.  She was in fact astonishingly well and only the bleeding from the ear revealed that there was trouble.  The Doctor, whom I saw at the hospital yesterday, told me he was astonished to find that there was much greater shock on the second day than on the first.  After this, however, she rapidly improved for two or three weeks.  Now in the last ten days comes the problem of once more facing life and she has been very depressed, frequently crying, feeling she is not equal to her duties in life, reproaching herself on this score, and suffering very great weakness and giddiness when she gets up.  Moreover, when she gets up she has severe pain on one side of the head as though it had been struck by a blow, i.e. delayed response to the accident.  There can at present be no possible organic explanation, for even the weakness goes beyond what might be expected in the circumstances.  I am very concerned lest she be laying the basis for a traumatic hysteria, of a quite classical kind, and I am afraid we shall have something to face in this respect in the future.

A practical question was whether to allow her to remain in bed for a much longer period or to encourage her to face the inevitable psychological reaction on once more coming back to life.  I should have been in favour of the latter, for she is in a very invalid atmosphere at present, but for the unfortunate fact that to move her involves a journey which would certainly re‑activate the Trauma.  The train journey to Dartington where she was very anxious to go to see the boys takes four hours with two changes, and a motor car two and a half hours.  I did not like this idea, and so suggested to Ernst that the boys be brought over from Dartington for a day or two at Easter, then going back again there for the holidays, and that she be brought direct to London, by a simple train journey, the week after Easter, i.e. six weeks after the accident.  This he will probably do.  But he told me that various authorities in Vienna stated that in such a case there was less likelihood of psychological after‑effects if the patient was allowed to remain in bed for a very long period.  This I find hard to believe and should specially like your opinion about.

We are all happy to think of the coming spring.  Anna tells me that you have not yet found a house, but I can well imagine that you are longing to get away from the Berggasse.  You know I intend to visit you in August; I am very greatly looking forward to this pleasure.

I need not give you any Association news for Anna doubtless keeps you informed of its ups and downs.

With kindest regards  Yours always  Ernest Jones