During these periods of repose7 and passivity or of sleep stage, the animal can only protect itself by all kinds of subterfuges8, such as hiding in various inaccessible9 places, or taking its rest-periods in shady nooks and corners, or in the darkness of the night. Each hypnoidal period closely corresponds to the larval stage of the insect, reposing10 in its cocoon,—the most critical time of the insect organism, most exposed to the depredations11 of its enemies. And still the hypnoidal state is requisite[265] to the animal in order to restitute its living matter and energy which have been wasted during the active moments of its life activities. Hence the weakness of the animal depends on the very constitution of its organism.
The hypnoidal state, although absolutely necessary in the process of metabolism12, is also the moment of its greatest danger, and the fear instinct is specially13 intense at the onset14 of that hypnoidal moment, the lowest point of the weakness of the organism. The animal, after taking all precautions, is finally paralyzed into temporary immobility at the risk of its own existence.
The fear instinct determines the nature and character of rest and sleep. The lower the animal, the scantier15 are its means of defense16 in the ceaseless struggle for its preservation. The simpler the animal, the greater and more numerous are the dangers menacing it with total extinction,—hence it must be constantly on its guard. A state of sleep such as found in the higher animals is rendered impossible. The sleep must be light, and in snatches, rapidly passing from rest into waking,—the characteristic of the hypnoidal state. The fear instinct is the controlling factor of sleep and rest. When we are in danger the sleep is light and in snatches, and we thus once more revert17 to an ancient form of rest and sleep.
The insomnia18 found in cases of neurosis is a reversion[266] to primitive rest-states, found in the lower animals. The insomnia is due to the fear instinct which keeps dominating the conscious and subconscious3 mental activities, a state which has prevailed in the early stages of animal life. That is why the sleep of neurotics20 is unrefreshing and full of dreams of dangers and accidents, and peopled with visions of a terrorizing nature. Hence the neurotic19 fear of insomnia which is itself the consequence of the obsession21, conscious and subconscious, of the fear instinct.
In my work on sleep I was greatly impressed with the place fear holds in animal life existence. From the lowest representative, such as the insect to the highest, such as man, fear rules with an iron hand. Every animal is subject to cataplexy of fear and to the hypnoidal state itself, the consequence of fear-adaptations to the external conditions of a hostile environment. Cataplexy and the consequent hypnoidal state which paralyze the animal, depriving it of all defense, are grounded in the imperfections of living protoplasm.
Man is subject to the hypnoidal periods of primitive life. It is during those periods that the shafts22 of suggestion are most apt to strike his subconsciousness, divorced as it is during those moments from the nodding self consciousness. During these nodding moments of his life he is exposed to harmful suggestions, since they are apt to arouse the[267] fear instinct, the most sensitive of all human instincts. It seems as if the fear instinct is never fully23 asleep, and is the easiest to arouse. It seems to be watchful24 or semi-watchful during the most critical moments of man’s helplessness.
Fear of darkness and fear of invisible foes25 are specially strong in man, because of the deeply rooted fear instinct, but also because of his memories of accidents and dangers that have befallen him, and which may befall him. Man’s fears hang round dark places, gloomy corners and nooks, caves and forests, and more especially during the darkness and shades of night, appearing as treacherous26 visions and specters of lurking27 dangers. And still from the very nature of his being man must rest and sleep, hence the association of terrors with night time. He can only overcome his night terrors by living and sleeping in more or less secure corners, in the neighborhood of his fellow-beings who by the mere29 fact of numbers multiply not only the means of defense, but actually increase susceptibility for the scent30 of danger and possible speedy defense. In the society of his fellows the sense organs of the individual are increased by the presence of others who are in various stages of vigilance, and hence there is greater protection against dangers and invisible foes that lurk28 in the darkness of night, foes of which primitive man is in terror of his life.
[268]
The fear of the unknown, the mysterious, and the dark, peoples the mind of primitive man with all sorts of terrible spectres, ghosts, spirits, goblins, ghouls, shades, witches, and evil powers, all bent31 on mischief32, destruction and death. Primitive man suffers from chronic33 demonophobia. Fear states are specially emphasized at night when the “demons34” have the full power for evil, and man is helpless on account of darkness and sleep which paralyze him. Hence the terrors of the night, especially when man is alone, and defenseless.
The fear of solitude35 comes out strongly in the intense fear that obsesses36 man in the gloomy darkness of the night horrors. Fire and fellow-beings can alone relieve his night terrors. The fear of foes, of demons, of evil powers does not abate37 in the day, only it is relieved by reason of light, of association, and of wakefulness. Man, more than any other animal, is the victim of the fear instinct. Many tribes, many races of men perished, due to superstitions and fear obsessions38.
The Homo sapiens is rare. We may agree with Tarde that Homo somnambulis would be a proper definition of the true mental condition of most specimens39 of the human race. For the human race is still actuated by the principle of “Credo, quia absurdum est.” I need not go far to substantiate41 the fact that this principle still guides the[269] life of the average specimen40 of civilized42 humanity. Spiritualism, theosophy, telepathy, ghost hunting, astrology, oneiromancy, cheiromancy, Christian43 Science, psychoanalytic oneiroscopy employed in events and situations of individual and social life, and many other magical practices whose name is legion, based on the mysteries of communication with ghosts, spirits, demons, and unknown fearsome powers, still haunt the credulous44 mind, obsessed45 with conscious and subconscious horrors of the terrible, invisible spirit world.
Against the fears of diseases, the scares of the day and terrors of night, civilized man still uses the magic arts and mysterious, miraculous46 powers of the magician, the wizard, the witch, the mental healer, the shaman, the medicine man, the miracle man, and the psychoanalyst. Just at present under my own eyes I witness the pitiful credulity of man, driven by the terrors and horrors of the fear instinct. In San Jose, San Diego, in Los Angeles, and in many other Western “culture” centers mystic cults47 hold high carnival48, swaying the minds of fear-crazed, deluded49 humanity. As typical specimens of superstitious50 fears and absurd beliefs, due to the fear instinct, we may take as illustrations the following occurrences in the centers of the far West, obsessed by the aberrations51 of the fear instinct (I quote from Los Angeles papers):
[270]
“Faith Healer at Los Angeles, Venice, California, after several wonder cures, orders sun’s rays to be darkened. ‘Brother Isaiah,’ called by thousands the ‘Miracle Man,’ claimed to have repeated the marvel52 of dimming the sun at Venice yesterday evening.
“At 6 o’clock the disciple53 of healing by faith raised his hands and announced that as evidence of his power he would blot54 out the brilliant solar rays. He gazed at the dazzling red ball above the waters of the Pacific, and his lips moved in low murmurs55.
“‘It is done,’ he said. ‘I have clouded the sun. All those who have seen this miracle raise your hands.’ Hundreds of hands waved in the air.
“The first time ‘Brother Isaiah’ claimed to have dimmed the sun’s rays was at Miracle Hill, when he had been in Los Angeles but a few days.
“Brother Isaiah stepped to one side of his wooden platform on the Venice Beach yesterday. He placed a silver police whistle to his lips and blew. The piercing crescendo56 sent a shiver through the tense mass of humanity which stretched from the sand back to the ocean walk.” Similar miracles and cures were carried on by Mrs. Amy McPherson in San Diego, San Jose, and all along the Pacific coast.
The self-impulse and the fear instinct, in their intensified57 forms, are the bane of deluded, neurotic humanity.
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1
preservation
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| n.保护，维护，保存，保留，保持 | |
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subconsciousness
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| 潜意识；下意识 | |
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subconscious
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| n./adj.潜意识(的)，下意识(的) | |
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superstitions
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| 迷信，迷信行为( superstition的名词复数 ) | |
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primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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momentary
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| adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的 | |
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repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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subterfuges
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| n.（用说谎或欺骗以逃脱责备、困难等的）花招，遁词( subterfuge的名词复数 ) | |
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inaccessible
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| adj.达不到的，难接近的 | |
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reposing
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| v.将（手臂等）靠在某人（某物）上( repose的现在分词 ) | |
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depredations
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| n.劫掠，毁坏( depredation的名词复数 ) | |
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metabolism
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| n.新陈代谢 | |
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specially
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| adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地 | |
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onset
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| n.进攻，袭击，开始，突然开始 | |
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scantier
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| adj.（大小或数量）不足的，勉强够的( scanty的比较级 ) | |
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defense
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| n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩 | |
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revert
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| v.恢复，复归，回到 | |
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insomnia
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| n.失眠，失眠症 | |
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neurotic
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| adj.神经病的，神经过敏的；n.神经过敏者，神经病患者 | |
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neurotics
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| n.神经官能症的( neurotic的名词复数 )；神经质的；神经过敏的；极为焦虑的 | |
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obsession
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| n.困扰，无法摆脱的思想(或情感) | |
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shafts
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| n.轴( shaft的名词复数 )；（箭、高尔夫球棒等的）杆；通风井；一阵（疼痛、害怕等） | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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watchful
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| adj.注意的，警惕的 | |
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foes
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| 敌人，仇敌( foe的名词复数 ) | |
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treacherous
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| adj.不可靠的，有暗藏的危险的；adj.背叛的，背信弃义的 | |
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lurking
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| 潜在 | |
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lurk
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| n.潜伏，潜行；v.潜藏，潜伏，埋伏 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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chronic
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| adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的 | |
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demons
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| n.恶人( demon的名词复数 )；恶魔；精力过人的人；邪念 | |
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solitude
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| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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obsesses
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| v.时刻困扰( obsess的第三人称单数 )；缠住；使痴迷；使迷恋 | |
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abate
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| vi.(风势，疼痛等)减弱，减轻，减退 | |
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obsessions
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| n.使人痴迷的人（或物）( obsession的名词复数 )；着魔；困扰 | |
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specimens
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| n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人 | |
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specimen
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| n.样本，标本 | |
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substantiate
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| v.证实；证明...有根据 | |
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civilized
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| a.有教养的，文雅的 | |
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Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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credulous
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| adj.轻信的，易信的 | |
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obsessed
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| adj.心神不宁的,鬼迷心窍的,沉迷的 | |
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46
miraculous
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| adj.像奇迹一样的，不可思议的 | |
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cults
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| n.迷信( cult的名词复数 )；狂热的崇拜；（有极端宗教信仰的）异教团体 | |
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carnival
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| n.嘉年华会，狂欢，狂欢节，巡回表演 | |
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49
deluded
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| v.欺骗，哄骗( delude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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50
superstitious
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| adj.迷信的 | |
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51
aberrations
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| n.偏差( aberration的名词复数 )；差错；脱离常规；心理失常 | |
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52
marvel
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| vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异；n.令人惊异的事 | |
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53
disciple
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| n.信徒，门徒，追随者 | |
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54
blot
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| vt.弄脏（用吸墨纸）吸干；n.污点，污渍 | |
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55
murmurs
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| n.低沉、连续而不清的声音( murmur的名词复数 )；低语声；怨言；嘀咕 | |
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56
crescendo
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| n.(音乐)渐强，高潮 | |
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57
intensified
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| v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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