The Secret of Having a Turkish Carpet on Freud’s Divan

Although we do not see much in the rooms of psychiatrists and psychologists who practice psychotherapy today, Freud and his colleagues in his period kept a sofa in their rooms and treated their patients. they would lay them on the sofa and listen to their problems that way. At that time, it was thought that the patient could open himself comfortably in this position, while it was believed that the therapist could act impartially.

This tradition has become obsolete as psychoanalysis is used less and less as a form of therapy. Psychoanalysis; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Schema Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, EMDR is only one of the types of therapy and we can say that it is the oldest. Long lasting, expensive It is no longer preferred by therapists and clients due to reasons such as But Freud developed and used it as a form of therapy.

Interesting story of Sigmund Freud from neurology to psychiatry:

Sigismund Scholomo Freud, named in the civil registry; Born in Austria-Hungary, He is a neurologist of Jewish origin. After completing his medical education, he worked on brain anatomy and neuropathology for a while. He then began working in the psychiatric clinic to conduct studies on cocaine.

In 1885, he went to Paris thanks to the scholarship he received. At the Salpêtriê Hospital, next to Jean Martin Charcot examined the symptoms of hysteria, the effects of hypnosis and suggestion. After staying here for two years, he went to Berlin and started working as a private physician. Meanwhile, he married his fiancee of four years, Martha Bernays. After that, he began to develop psychoanalysis. He used to have a large sofa in his room where he accepted his patients, to whom he applied psychoanalytic therapy. There was also a Turkish carpet on this sofa.

A Turkish rug in Izmir travels to Freud for use in therapy.

There are two different theories about how the carpet reached the therapy room. First according to theory in 1885, Freud’s cousin, who was a merchant and worked as a carpet maker He gave him a carpet from Izmir as a gift. Freud liked it and covered it on his divan, thinking that his designs might have different connotations.

According to the second and more detailed theory, he married Freud’s sister. A merchant named Moritz gave it as a gift.. Considered a distant relative, Moritz, while working as a merchant in Thessaloniki, stumbles upon a carpet from Izmir and brings it to Freud. The psychiatrist, who worked as a private physician at that time and had a divan, liked it very much and laid it out on his divan. It is said that he took this carpet to the cities and even countries where he moved after that. It is said that not only the Turkish carpet, but also the Persian carpet hangs on the wall of the therapy room. You can visit Freud’s house in London, which has been turned into a museum, online at the link here.

The reason for Freud’s interest in Turkish carpets may be the polygamy seen in Turks at that time.

They write that the reason why the psychiatrist was interested in Turkish carpets was that Freud’s forbidden union with his sister-in-law they are tired of living. Because the Turkish carpet, which was given as a gift, came to Freud at this time. Turks with their polygamous marriages It was known in Europe and this carpet may have been kept in his room by the psychiatrist because it actually evoked sexuality. He also wrote an article called “Death and Sexuality” at the same time.

Whatever the reason, we know that the famous psychiatrist kept this carpet in his room and laid it on his sofa. Let’s listen to the effect of this on patients from the mouth of one of Freud’s patients: As soon as I settled on the old, ripped sofa, it was as if my heart melted. As my body sank into the soft cotton, my soul sank with it. I always had tears in my eyes. It wouldn’t have had the same effect if I had been sitting on the sofa, I feel much stronger when I lean on my back.