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THE NEGRO AND PSYCHOPATHOLOGY 159

epidermal indication of a slight endocrine insuffi ciency. Her
menstrual periods were regular.
An interview made it possible to isolate these details: “It’s
especially when I’m working that the tics come.” (The patient
was working at a job that entailed her living away from home.)
The tics affected the eyes and the forehead; she panted and yelped.
She slept quite well, without nightmares, and ate well. She was
not out of sorts during menstruation. When she went to bed, the
facial tics were constant until she fell asleep.
The observations of the ward nurse: “It is worst when she is
alone. When she is talking with others, or is merely with them, it
is less noticeable. The tic depends on what she is doing. She begins
by tapping both her feet, and then goes on to raise her feet, her
legs, her arms, her shoulders symmetrically.”
She uttered sounds. It was never possible to understand what she
was saying. This manifestation ended in quite loud, inarticulate
cries. As soon as she was spoken to, these stopped.
The psychiatrist in charge decided to employ waking-dream
therapy. A preliminary interview had brought out the existence
of hallucinations in the form of terrifying circles, and the patient
had been asked to describe them. Here is an excerpt from the
notes on the fi rst session:

Deep and concentric, the circles expanded and contracted, to the rhythm
of a Negro tom-tom. This tom-tom made the patient think of the danger
of losing her parents, especially her mother.
I then asked her to make the sign of the cross over these circles, but
they did not disappear. I told her to take a cloth and rub them out, and
they vanished.
She turned in the direction of the tom-tom. She was surrounded by
half-naked men and women dancing in a frightening way. I told her not to
be afraid to join the dance. She did so. Immediately the appearance of the
dancers changed. It was a splendid party. The men and women were well
dressed and they were dancing a waltz, The Snow Star.
I told her to go closer to the circles; she could no longer see them. I
told her to think of them; they appeared, but they were broken. I told
her to go in through the opening. “I’m not completely surrounded any
more,” she said spontaneously, “I can get out again.” The circle broke into

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