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| | Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)
psychoanalyst
When, in 1910, following Alma´s encounter with Walter Gropius, Gustav Mahler´s marriage fell into severe crisis, he was recommended to consult Sigmund Freud, who declared himself willing to meet with him in the Dutch spa resort of Leiden. The consultation lasted four hours at the most, but nevertheless was a resounding success. In a letter to his pupil Marie Bonaparte, Freud revealed his diagnosis: »Mahler´s wife Alma loved her father Rudolf Schindler and could only seek out and love this same type. Mahler´s age, which he so feared, was precisely that which made him so attractive to his wife. Mahler loved his mother and sought her type in every woman. His mother was troubled and afflicted, and subconsciously, he also wanted this from his wife Alma.« By this analysis, Freud granted an implicit licence to commit incest, thereby blessing the couple with their last happy months together. Alma was outraged when, shortly after Mahler´s death in May 1911, Freud unabashedly sent her the bill for Mahler´s short session of analysis in Leiden.
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