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SIS Journal of Projective Psychology & Mental Health
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A SIS-II Projective Case Study of Becker’s Concept “Denial of Death” 

Wilfred A. Cassell and Bankey L. Dubey 

“Everyone is going to die, it doesn’t bother me – I just don’t want to be there when it happens!” – Woody Allen 

People worldwide face their own ultimate mortality with a wide range of culturally/emotionally colored reactions. Like the comedian Woody Allen, some use humor to defend against potentially disturbing feelings when contemplating the ultimate demise of the anatomical structure in which they locate their sense of self, or “Body Ego” Yet ultimately as one ages, Death Dysphoria tends to surface in daytime conscious awareness, as well as sometimes directly or symbolically in affect charged dreams directly. A central portion of the dogma proposed by theologians of the world’s great religions consist of “so-called reality” historical facts. For true believers, these may provide emotional comfort by claiming death overcoming miracles that purport to overcome “The 

sting of death”!   

In 1959 one of the authors (Cassell) had the opportunity of attending lectures by an anthropologist Ernest Becker based upon his Pulitzer Prize winning book “The Denial of Death”. This is a case history report illustrating the psychological defense system of a 100 year old woman who at assessment was “Happy and Healthy” while “Never Thinking about Her Own Death” 

Dr. C: Thanks for coming today. M: Well, you know what, I completely forgot, and then I realized and I dropped everything and I had okay.   So where would you like me to sit? 

Dr. C: I think right here in this comfortable chair. 

M:  Right here? Right here? 

Dr. C: Right here. 

M: Okay. 

Dr. C: Okay.   And I'll be interviewing you. 

M: You know that I'm not good at this, eh? 

Dr. C: Okay. You don't have to do anything with the computer.  I just want to ask you a few questions. 

Dr. C: So are you having a good day? 

M: Pardon?  Oh, yes, really good.   So many of my family are popping in and they're -- so I've been sort of busy. 

Dr. C: I guess so.   Everybody wants to recognize the special occasion of your 100th birthday. 

M: So tell me, like, what is it for and – DR. C: Oh, yes. Well, we have a journal in India, and we’re interested in a lot of things. And we make -- write papers, but we have some special ink blot sort of things, that can be useful for taking histories and actually treating people. 

M: Okay. Dr. C: And I know that -- M: That sounds good. 

Dr. C: you were formerly a public health nurse. 

M:  M'mm-hmm. Yes. 

Dr. C: And I was so impressed by your history, you know, in the newspaper. I said it would be good to interview you. 

M:  Okay. 

Dr. C: Yeah. And I liked your philosophy. Tell us your philosophy about HAPPINESS. 

M:  You know what, I had 13 brothers and sisters, and we had a beautiful home and my dad had a good job. He only came home weekends and so we poured over him when he came, and we just loved him. Anyway, we were very HAPPY. 

Wilfred A. Cassell, M.D., FAPS, APC, (Email: siswilfredacassell@yahoo.com) and Bankey L. Dubey, Ph.D., D.M.S.P. (Email: bldubey@gmail.com), SIS Center, Anchorage (USA).  

Key Words: Denial of Death, SIS in ream Symbolism, Dream Interpretation 

  1. C: That was quite a consideration with the stresses in a big family. 

M:  I know. We had, I don't know what it was, we – my dad had got -- we had a beautiful home.   It was great a big house. 

Dr. C:  Where was that now? M:  We had five bathrooms upstairs, and -- not – five bedrooms, you know -- Dr. C:  And what city was that in? 

M:  In Winnipeg. 

Dr. C:  Nice town. 

M:  Yeah. 

Dr. C:  And you survived some cold winters. 

M:  Oh yes.   It was so cold in the winter, but you know, we got so used to it. I would be way up north, with the -- with my work, you know, and -- 

Dr. C:  Tell us about your work. M:  Pardon? 

Dr. C:  Tell us about your work. M:  Well, I was a Public Health Nurse, so – you think -- you know. 

Dr. C:  Yes.   I remember when  we talked  in the hallway  the other  day, you -- you told  me the story  right away  that was interesting about the pregnant lady. M:  We had lots of stories! 

Dr. C:  Can you tell us that one about the man, brought his wife in, and they overcame you.  Do you remember that, what was-- M: There's lots of those. And I -- and it was cold and had been a horrible night, and this was like, 2:00 o'clock in the morning.  And I had put a blanket on the floor and I was lying on it.   And anyway, then I heard this car, it was a buggy of some sort.   He came in, so I went to see, and I asked him what he wanted. So he told me, he said "My wife is having a baby." And I said "No, she can't have a baby here. There is snow, and rain." And he said, "Well, I'm going now, because I don't want to lose my ride." So he left her. And I had never  seen  her before, I didn't know what  stage  she was on. 

Dr. C: How did you feel at that point? 

M:  I felt like killing myself!! 

Dr. C:  Oh, well, yeah. 

M: Oh my God, I knew that I couldn't do that. So I had a look at her, she had grey hair, and it was hanging like this, and she was like this, 

Denial of death: 3

and she was like that.   And I said "How far are you?   When are you expecting your baby?" She said "This afternoon." Dr. C:  You didn't -- you did well not to faint on the floor. 

M: I thought, well, there is nobody I could call. There's no one because I'm all by myself on the Indian reservation.  And so I said, well,  that's  not a big deal,  she'd  pop out the baby  and,  you know. So anyway, she said -- I said, "Well, how many and when do you expect?" She said "Right now!" Dr. C: Oh, come on. 

M: So I got ready  to -- I got some  towels and stuff that  I kept  by, you know,  and so I told  her to lie down.   And I had put some stuff for her to lie down.   And so she could hardly lie down because she was so big, you know.   So I say, "Well, don't push. Don't push right now. Wait until I get there." She said "But I can't help it."   And so, one whoosh, and there was a baby (laughing). 

Dr. C: Oh my.   It's good you have a sense of humor. Okay.   Well, I want to show you some things here, Okay? 

M: Yes, you bet. 

Dr. C: You'll find this pretty interesting, I think. There you go. 

M: Okay. 

Dr. C: Now,  this  is a series  of electronic pictures which  I made  over  the last 20 years,  years. And this technique is used to help us understand people that have various problems, and is a way of helping them. 

M: Okay. 

Dr. C: You know, called a somatic image series. 

M: Okay. 

Dr. C: We shorten it, to somatic SIS. 

M: Well, I -- what's that? 

Dr. C: Do you want me to read that? "This viewing procedure is to be administered under the direct supervision of a trained professional, who had explained its risk, benefits, clinical relevance, and so on. If at any time questions or difficulties would arise during this proceeding, please feel free to call the person administering." Then we had 

some pictures to relax people. Aren't they nice? 

M: Oh, that's gorgeous. 

Dr. C: Just focus on those pictures for a while. You know, I love Butchart Gardens. 

That's where I go in Victoria to get relaxed. 

M: I go there very seldom, but I do go. Dr. C:  Well,  when  I go next time,  if you want  to go, I'll  -- I'll  take you. 

M: I'd love it.   These are beautiful. 

Dr. C:  Aren't they? 

M: What a variety.  Gorgeous colours. 

Dr. C: And the music too. The soundtrack, right now, isn't as loud as it should  be, but the soundtrack is pleasant too. 

M: Beautiful pictures. 

Dr. C: I'm going to show you how to respond to some test images shortly.  I'm sure you could have used these flowers to relax that night when it was so stressful with the woman in labour having a baby!      M: That's right. Yes. They're beautiful. And they are relaxing [indiscernible]. 

Dr. C: This is -- Someone is going to tell you how to respond to the DVD (SIS-II).  Can you hear it? ”. MALE RECORDING “It is not a picture.  It's an image, and everyone sees images differently. A few weeks ago, a friend and I spent a few moments reacting to images, and to what she saw in the image you're seeing now”. FEMALE RECORDING:  

“It's like a butterfly, but it's a butterfly upside down.  But this long image takes on a human shape too. A very narrow man with long legs. And his head comes down as well, like a butterfly.  And it looks like a mushroom cloud of an atomic bomb” MALE RECORDING: “It's a fun and interesting way to pass a few moments. 

Dr. C: That's a picture of the Alaska mountains, by the way. Aren't they lovely? Then, like them, tell me what  you see. Everyone sees something different. And then tell me. Tell me what you see. Ordinarily we have  -- sometimes they  write  them down, but I want  you -- sort  of, we're  making  a training tape  for young  people. 

M: I see. 

Dr. C:-- so when  you see this,  tell  us what you see there,  and any feelings. This  is the first image.  What does it remind you of? M: Trying to think. The colours are coming through so pretty.  I see a little dog. Dr. C: Okay. Now we're going to see the third one.  

M: Not really. 

Dr. C: After each picture we'll have a flower.  What about number 4?  Does that look like anything? 

M:  A flower. Now, what's -- a streak in the middle? 

Dr. C: That's what I asked you to see.   Does it bring anything to mind?   You saw -- M: It seems like an animal, it's sticking -- it's just sticking out,  and looking worryingly. Dr. C: And now we have the fifth one. What do you see there? 

M: Well, it looks like  a pink heart 5A. 

Dr. C: Right. And how about the sixth one? 

M:     And let me see.   “There's a little dog.” And it's somebody showing off, putting their feet -- both their  legs  out,  like this. And that little dog, it's so sweet right there. 

Dr. C:  And then we've got number 7. 

M: Okay. Where is number 7? It's someone putting on a show of some sort, to show off something.  "See what -- see me, or look at me", or something like that.   To me, that's someone to get your attention. Dr. C: And who is that someone, a man or woman or..? 

M: I think it's a lady, in a way. 

Dr. C: How about this one?   This is A 8. 

M:      I don't know.  I -- well, he seems to wonder, he's wondering whether to pee or not. 

Dr. C:   How about this one, 9A? 

M: And that's two -- well, they're not people, but they're two -- they're trying to put on a dance  of some  sort.   There's two of them and they're not sure what they're doing. 

Dr. C:  Does it remind you of anything at all? 

M:     Uhh .. 

Dr. C:  Okay.   Here comes 10A. 

M:      I can't figure out what that  is. 

Dr. C:  11. 

M: I want to see -- oh, she is trying to tell you something.  And going up in the air like  this, trying  to tell you something. 

Dr. C: What would that be? 

M: I think it has something to do with a -- he's  caught in the back  somewhere, and yet he's different. These are little birds  in the flowers, 

and -- Dr. C:  12A. 

M: Now, that one. Hmm, I think they're trying  to prepare to speak  in a -- in a thing.   And not sure what to say.    

Dr. C: 13A, yeah. 

M: -- Hmm.  It's someone– something surrounded, quite  surrounded.   

Dr. C: Okay.   14A. 

M:  Yeah, image 14 is -- It's reaching –for the sky or something.  But he's not alone. Dr. C: Okay.And 15A?   How about that one? 

M: Well,  I don't  think  -- I don't  think  that's an animal, but it could  be a long  -- a longbeaked bird  of some  sort.   But he's being, held  up either  by a tree  or -- but he's  ... 

Dr. C: 16A. 

M: Okay.   Oh, 16.   Let me see now.   That's a hard  one. it's either  a woman  or a man. There  is something in there  and they're trying  to put on a jacket, and it's  sort  of stuck  in here  somewhere. Dr. C: 17A. 

M:     Now,  those  are ribs. 

Dr. C: A18. 

M: What  is this?   I'll  sit back,  maybe.   So much  -- I made  -- I made a dress  and the top of it was just like  that. 

Dr. C: Okay.   19A. 

M:  Now,  I got to figure  out who he is first  of all --what  it is.   Hmm. 

Dr. C: Any idea?   Okay.   We'll  go on to another one. This  is 20A. 

M: Now,  this  one,  if I was at church, I think that  this part  here would  be part  of the front  of the --and these  things  are -- they  go around. 

Dr.C: Okay.   Part  of the church  structure? 

M: Yeah. 

Dr. C: All right.   Now we've  got A21. 

Denial of death: 5

M:  Now,  this,  this  is just  an image,  and they're just putting a law out,  you know,  you gonna  have -- this  is what you have  to do. And – then someone I don't  think  is very  

happy                  about  it.  So they're -- 

Dr. C: What way do you think  they're unhappy? 

M:  Oh, put it back  on again,  or can you do that? 

Dr. C: Maybe  later. 

M: Okay. 

Dr. C: 22A. 

M: Hmm.   This  is very  -- Hmm.   I have  a -- at the cottage I have a big bowl,  and in the centre  of it, it's  a -- something as part  of the bowl,  and it looked  a little  bit like  that. 

Dr. C: 23A. 

M: Yeah.   That,  that  also  looks  like  a little child, and they're wanting help,  and they've climbed up to this  as far as he could  go and he's calling, and he's  waving  his arms. 

Dr. C: 24A. 

M: Okay.   It's an animal of some kind.   Let me see.   Or maybe it isn't. 

Dr.  C: Okay.   That's 25A.    

M: Oh, that looks  like  it could  be fur around her.Well,  it -- like,  I made  an outfit  that looks  a lot like  that. 

Dr. C: Okay. 

M: And it was a two-piece.  The outside is like that.  

Dr. C: This is 26A. 

M:  Hmm.   You know,  it's someone asking for help. They've got their  arms  out like  this. Dr. C: 27A. 

M: Now, what in the world is that?   Well,  it looks  like a big fire  cracker that  they  took off, and it's gone. 

Dr. C: Okay.   Any feelings when you look at that fire cracker? 

M:  Well, you know, the other day they were doing  fire crackers at my cottage.  (July the 

1st or Canada Day) 

Dr. C:  Oh, yeah,  On Canada  Day,  right? 

M: Yeah. 

Dr. C:  28A. 

M: This image is hard  to say anything about this  one, somehow. 

Dr. C:  All right.   29A. 

M: Okay.   I can't  hardly  see that  one.   Oh, it's coming.  No, it's  got my image  in it, I'll put  my head  out here. 

Dr. C: Okay.   30A. 

M: I don't  think  I was very  helpful.  That looks  like  a tea pot, and that's  the handle, and that's  the pot. 

Dr. C: Okay. A31. 

M: And that's a bird.   And I don't  know  -- I know  that he's  over there  with  his head, and he might  be taking  off,  but there's something behind  that shouldn't be there.   But right there.   Oh, and there's a lady here.   She is watching this,  or a man,  but there  is the two eyes  and a mouth,  and he's looking back, saying "What's going on" or something. 

There is action there anyway, of some kind. 

Dr. C: Any feelings looking at that  one? 

M:  It feels warm. 

Dr. C: This is 1B, oh, we went by it.   Okay. 

Do you -- M:  Beautiful. 

Dr. C:  This  is 2B. 

M: That  looks  like  somebody who lost  their head,  and they're just  walking about  trying to find  out how to -- but his head  is gone. 

Dr. C:  Okay.   Any emotions looking at that? 

M:  I think  there  is anxiety, very  much  so. 

Dr. C: A little  scary. 

M:  Very, very  sure.   Yeah,  you've  been beheaded. 

Dr. C:  Okay.  (At the period in history when she worked as a Public Health Nurse, she was working in essentially more of a male world.  The reference to “beheaded” in Freudian terms symbolically reflected her body image lacking a penis and her unconscious feeling of symbolic social 

castration.) 

Dr. C: Now we've  gone  to 3B,  sorry. M:  No, I can't  visualize that  one.   It looks like  dark  fur.   And ... 

Dr. C:  4B. 

M:  Oh, that the -- Oh, and that could be -- yeah. It's an animal of some  kind,  with  her child.  It seems like  it's -- it's  -- maybe  it's not an animal, but it's  a vision  of some  sort, where  it's  a baby,  or a child,  and an older person  on the back.   Like, the baby is small. Dr. C:  5B. 

M: I think that's just a man and a woman, and they  are trying  to decide  something. And the three objects above  are concerned about  what -- something in there,  and she is on the left,  and he is on the right. He's  sitting in his chair. 

Dr. C: This is 6B. 

M:  Hmm.   Like,  to me, he looks  like an 

animal, but just a -- or else  it could  be -- it's  a shell  of some sort,  but it's quite  large. 

That's part  of a tree,  I think,  or it's a  flower. 

Dr. C: And this one,  8B? 

M: I can't  -- I know  there  is two sections to it, and the right  is sort  of a browny, and the other is a deep  blue,  on the left. 

Dr. C: 9B. 

M: Yeah. It looks like my embroidery work. 

That's what it looks like. 

Dr. C:10B. 

M: But it's -- my goodness.  I love that blue. 

Dr. C: This  is 11B  now. 

M: I don't  know  what  that  -- it looks  like  a hat,  or a cap of some  sort.   

Dr. C: 12B. 

M: My goodness.  Well, it's  spread  out,  but I can't make  out what  it's  trying  to do. 

Almost like  a person. 

Dr. C: Now.  13B. 

M: Oh, I've got something like  that,  it's  a collar  that comes  like  this. 

Dr. C:  14B. 

M: Oh my goodness.  Oh, it's a bowl, but there is something in it.   It looks like somebody has poured  something into this jug. 

Dr. C:  Okay.   Here's  16B. M: That must be held up -- holding up to something. Although it seems like two people discussing something, at the very top. 

Dr. C:  B17. 

M:  It's  a heart.  

Dr. C:  Okay.   Now we got 18B. M:  That's -- My goodness , it's  a hard  one to put a name  to it.    

Dr. C:  19B. 

M:  This  is some  sort  of a bug.  

Dr. C:  Okay.  Anything else there? 

M: And there is a heart, and it must have  something to do -- it must  be some sort of an animal, or a fly,  or a bug. 

Dr. C:  20B. 

M:  It is a wedding ring.  It was lying in a mess of something and was found.  It is unfinished. 

Dr.C:  21B 

M:  Something started.  It didn’t finish.  They just pitched it.  

Dr.C:  22B 

M: I see a little boy who fell.  He is blowing bubbles.  (Here it is significant that instead of seeing a dying person’s body with the spirit leaving, she substituted an image of a little boy and bubbles leaving.  This is an important example of the mental mechanism of repression in her mentally receiving visual input denoting death and dying.) Dr.C: 23B. 

M: Someone was blurry.  He was not in school or anything.  He just seems to be there.  It is windy.  An area has opened up at top.   The area is really disturbed like someone came along and gave it a kick. The circle has disappeared. (Although she was trained in anatomy and worked as a nurse, instead of correctly recognizing the somatic content in 23B, she projected symbolic material of a defensive nature.   The emotional charge of the imagery is “really disturbed.”  In my opinion, the disturbance reflects a response to the previous SIS ink blot where she failed to recognize the content but it produced age regression and emotional 

turmoil.) 

Dr.C: 25B. 

M:  A puff of wind.  It is rolling stuff on the highway in dust.   

Dr.C: 26B. 

M:  It is very cloudy.  Something is falling and trying to get out.  It doesn’t make sense. (Here again, the emotional content of falling, trying to get out, captures a continuation of some of the anxiety triggered by 22B.) 

Dr.C: 27B. 

M: A child who is angry trying to make sense to the person next with his hands.  (Note the continuation of the disturbed affect, in this 

case, anger.) 

Dr.C: 28B 

M: Someone who is angry.  He is all covered with hair.  You can see his face.  He has a lot of hair.  He looks with his mouth open that he doesn’t like what he is doing. (Again the anger and turmoil surfaced on this.) Dr.C: 29B. 

M: He is frustrated or angry, and he is walking really fast like he is determined.  He looks pleasant but determined.  It’s like a person walking away to escape from someone.  (The theme of being angry and escaping reflects the change in mood which began with visualizing 22B.) Dr.C: 31B. 

M: They are confiding.  Her hand is touching his.  They are definitely together, two people, two adults, angry about something.  Two adults are trying to hold on to the back of their legs.  Two kids trying to reach out for their father’s leg.Two parents loving and kissing and two children trying to get affection. 

Dr. C:  It's  too busy,  or too much  stuff  in it?  M: But there's light, there's a light that's there. It's -- it's very, very visible.  And it's, it's telling you something. And the hearts, have something to do with  it, too.    

Dr. C:  I'll have to just  see what  it says. 

M: I think  I've  got it.  Windows? Dr. C:  It's a problem with the computer.  I'm just going to see if I can correct it. 

M: Window media.   See if you can see. Dr. C:  We had a little problem with the computer. 

M: Well, look at the time.   My son was supposed to meet me. 

Dr. C: We're almost done  here.   So I guess we'll have to be done. What time is your son coming? 

M: It was supposed to be at 3:30. What time is it? 

Dr. C:  Well, it's  got to be after  2:30,  I think. I guess we won't be able  to see them  all if --   that's  too bad. 

M: I wanted to see it. 

Dr. C:  I don't quite know that ... M: Don't  think  we can -- he's  used  to me being  late,  so I can be a few minutes late. I'm going  to rest my neck  here  while  you find  it. 

Dr. C:  That's fine.  That's fine.  Well, did any of those remind you of anything in the real world  that we haven't talked  about? 

M: Yeah. 

Dr. C:  What were some  of the things  that they  reminded you of? 

M: Well,  you know,  the wilderness, where  I have spent a lot of time in northern Manitoba, and this-- some in there reminded me of things I-- that I went through, and it reminded me of the anxiety that I had trying to find how to solve  this. 

Dr. C:  The anxiety that you had in northern Manitoba, what was that like  -- what brought on the anxiety? 

M: Pardon? 

Dr. C:  What was the anxiety, like,  that you had in northern -- 

M: Oh, well, you know,  there  was a reason for the anxiety, because there  was no one around, and I had a responsibility.  The woman was in labour, the baby's  head  was showing, and I thought, well, what  am I going  to do?   You know,  like,  the anxiety through that  about  the baby  being  born alive,  and my part  in -- and there  is no other people  around  for miles,  you know. Dr. C:  That's  the burden  of responsibility. 

M:  Oh, yeah. 

Dr. C:  You had to deal with life and death issues. 

M:  Yeah, lots,  lots  of it. Yeah.   But I got -- I don't know. I wasn't worried, and I -- well, this  one night,  it was so cold and miserable.  It was -- the wind outside was unreal.  So there was – I was lying  down on the rug and I had my house  coat on, and I was all alone,  and this is in the wilderness up north. And so this woman  in front  of him,  and she's,  like,  her head down so I couldn't see her.   And I said, "What's the matter  with  your  wife?" He said "That's not my wife." And I said "Well, tell me, what's  the matter with  her." "She is going  o have a baby."   And so I knew then the baby was coming  out.   So anyway, I had to stop talking and do something. So I delivered the baby, and I told him, "You're not going out. You're going  to stay here." But he said "My"  -- I think  it was a horse or something he had waiting with  him.   I know he didn't have  a car.   But he did have  a horse  and buggy,  so maybe  that  was it. Anyway, I said "You  have  to stay  here  with me and -- "  not that it would  have  helped, because there  is no way he'd  have got to a doctor or anything.  I just knew I had to deliver the baby. And so anyway, that was one of the nights that was -- I was very worried about,  you know, and concerned. And -- but everything turned out all right.   The baby was named after me, and that was it. 

Dr. C:  Well, congratulations on that.   Did you have any dreams about  things? 

M:  No.   It never bothered me.   Once I was at work, got to my room,  I was able  to shut the door. 

Dr. C:  And leave it all behind you. M: It saved my life, really.  By being -- not worrying, you know, after.  But I still  do it. 

Dr. C:  How do you mean you still  do it? 

M: Well, I worry sometimes about  things. 

Dr. C:  Like  what? 

M: Oh, let me see. One of those would be what?   Oh, yeah,  this  couple  were  coming with  two children to visit  us here,  and so we waited  and we waited and nothing happened and so they  did -- we waited and we waited, and nothing happened. And my husband said "Let's go and see. We know what road  

man comes  in, and he's  got a                 

they're going  to be on, so let's  go and see." So we drove, I guess, about 50 kilometres, it was quite  a distance.  And they were stalled. And you know,  they  were  in very  bad shape because there's nowhere else  -- no one else  would be coming  by that  time  of the night.   So that was one time that I worried about  -- anyway. 

Dr. C:  I bet.   Did you have much experience with  dying people  and death? M: Yeah.   You know,  I stayed  a lot of times with  a person  who was dying. 

Dr. C:  What  was that  like? 

M: Well,  I'm going  to talk  about  this  lady that I was with,  and she said  "You  know, it's  so hard to die." And so I said, "Yes,  it is." And we were talking.  I knew she was dying, but she wasn't in pain. So we were  able  to talk. 

Dr. C:  What was she dying  of? M: Well, it -- her heart.   Yeah.   And the 

doctor  had said  -- 

Dr. C:  And how old was she? 

M: She was in her -- I think  she was 54. Dr. C:  And what was her attitude towards dying? 

M: Well, we talked about it. I was a Catholic, and she was a Catholic.  So I said, "Do you want to talk about  religion?  Do you want to talk about God?" She said, "Oh, I would just love it if you would."  So we talked about that,  I talked.  And told her about  the after  -- and,  I mean  it's  hard to –  

Dr. C:  What  did you say about  the afterlife to her?  

M: Oh, well,  I said,  "You  know,  I don't know  what  you are -- what  you think  about, you know,  after  you die." And she says "Well,  I know that  God is waiting for me, and I know that  he'll  be there." And so I went along with her, and so -- 

Dr. C:  How did she react when you told her that? 

M: She relaxed so well.   And I held her hand.   She fell sound asleep. That was the end of it.   And she died about two hours later. 

Dr. C:  So she died peacefully? 

M: Yeah. 

Dr. C:  Well, good for you.   Do you think about your own death at age 100?   Do you think about that ever? 

M: Pardon? 

Dr. C:  Do you think about your own dying? (Notice the question had to be repeated. This is the third time I asked the question, reflecting the fact that this is a source of anxiety for her that she’s repressing.) M:    I never  think of that,  but I'm with  dying -- I was with  dying  people  almost  all the time.                  Because I was nursing in hospitals where, you know,  it was for seniors.  And so I was with people  before they  died,  and we were  able  to talk about anything and everything. 

Dr. C:  This would  be a lot of Native  people? M: Yes. 

Dr. C:  And how do the Native people accept death?   Do you -- compared -- M: They're wonderful.  They're way better than we are. 

Dr. C:  Tell us about  that. 

M: Well,  they  accept  death,  and they know  that  it's  -- that  they're going  to go to a better  place  with no more  pain.   And you know, that type of thing. 

Dr. C:  Is that part of the Natives' culture? 

M: Oh, yes. 

Dr. C:  What does the Native culture -- the Indian culture say about  that? 

M: Well, they know  that there's a hereafter. They feel.   And they feel that their life – they don't  want  to steal,  or kill  anybody, and they know  that they want  to be good  to people  and lead a good  life,  you know. 

Dr. C:  M'mm-hmm. 

M:  And the hereafter -- there  is a lot of the Indian people  that  I've  looked  after,  a lot of them  were different religions, you know. 

They were really, really nice  people. 

Dr. C:  How do they accept physical pain? 

M: Not as good  as we do. 

Dr. C:  Tell  us about  that. 

M: They  sort  of -- if they  have  pain,  like, it's  - it's  a, like,  yeah. They don't accept it as well2                   as we do, I don't think, the pain.   But I never have pain, so I couldn't tell. 

Dr. C:  What do they say about pain when they  have  it? 

M: Oh, I just talked them out of it. I don't really like talking about  that.  "What are we 7 talking about pain  for",  I would  say to them, you know.   "Why are we talking about pain? Do you want pain?" "Well, I would like to know  that  I'm not going  to die and have pain."   And so I'd have lots  of fun with  them too, you know.   They  had a sense  of humour, like we do.   And -- hey, one of my earrings is missing.  Oh my gosh. Dr. C:  Well, we'll  have  to help  you find  that  

at the -- 

M: It's  only  a small  thing. 

Dr. C:  What about-- do you remember any dreams you had during that period when  you were  all stressed out? 

M: I wasn't stressed out. 

Dr. C: -- with all that responsibility, and dealing with  death  and dying? 

M: No. No.   I just took it. I'm going  to do as much as I can -- as much  as I can do, you know. And I knew  that I -- that  there  is no way that  I was going  to have  a miracle of some  kind. So I did my best, you know. And so -- and afterwards, you know,  I'd meet them  in a store,  maybe  in Eaton's or somewhere, and they  would  -- if they  saw me in somewhere, they'd  come  and have  a visit  with  me, and their  English wasn't great,  but I could understand pretty  well everything.  But they were good. They were very good.   But I'm not very good, because I got to go back  home. 

Dr. C:  Okay.   We'll just say one more question.  Now did you ever make mistakes that you regretted? 

M: Oh, yes, very much so. 

Dr. C:  Like what? 

M: Like I should have  done  something more. Like  it's mostly  in the field  of nursing and working with older  people, and well, trying  to make  them feel comfortable when there  is no hope, you know.   And you don't want  to lie about  it, but you have  to have  a way of plaining, you know,  that  you've  got pain,  and your  pain  is going  to go away when you die.   And I hope  hat you won't have any pain,  but I guess  if they talk  -- Dr. C:  And that's  physical pain? 

M:  --  If a person  can talk  to you,  you know,  about this,  I don't  feel  good  if they're holding it all inside, and they're lying there  and counting the days  and -- I say "Talk  about  your  life",  and "What  did you do",  and then  they'd  talk  about their family, and you know,  I found  it helped. 

Dr. C:  M'mm-hmm. 

M: It helped me too, you know. Dr. C:  Yes.   Yes.   Well, that's very comforting to know, and the -- were there -- you say you never had many  dreams  about your work  then? 

M: No.   Never.  Never. 

Dr. C:  M'mm-hmm.  (It is hard to imagine that with all the stressful events that she had at work that she never experienced posttraumatic stress imagery in her creams.) M:  And I was -- the 13th  -- I had 13 brothers and sisters. 

Dr. C:  Where did you fit in the family? 

M: I was in the middle.  And I was the spoiled one. My brothers used to say "You're spoiled rotten."  So I had -- I had six – Dr. C: What influence did a large family have on you growing up? 

M: Well, my mom and dad where from Quebec. 

Dr. C:  Uh-huh. 

M: And somehow they moved to Winnipeg, or St. Boniface. Dr. C:  What year? 

M: Well, it must be over  50 years  ago, something like that. 

Dr. C:  M'mm-hmm. 

M: So anyway, yeah. It would be over, maybe  55 or 60 years  ago,  maybe  longer. Anyway, we had a really good life.   I had ten brothers and sisters.  And my dad had a wonderful job, and only came home weekends, and we all grab him and love him and everything. 

Dr. C:  What  did he work  at? 

anyway, he was glad.   He was happy.   He Final comment: spent  the weekend.  And like, there were 13 Like this aged public health nurse, SIS of us, you know,  and we'd  all take  off so clinicians in the various mental health mom and dad would  have  time  with  them disciplines have occupational exposure to on Sunday, and so we managed somehow, much “Secondary Empathetic you know,  there  was older  --                 Traumatization”. The power of the SIS 

M: He worked for a company that -- manufacture company. I forget what it was now.   But he only came home weekends, and we just ate him up when he arrived. I know  I would  just  go and grab  him. But younger -- older  sisters and older  brothers. And they  -- I would  like  my life  over again exactly the same. 

Dr. C:  It's  wonderful to be able  to say that. 

M:  Yeah. 

Dr. C:  What  would  you advise  for young people  today in terms  of how to live  their life? 

M: Oh, well,  I -- I go -- I do -- I do work  with young people, you know,  in spite  of my job. I tell them  about  what  it's  like,  you know, once  --"You're in school  right  now,  and doing  all this and all that,  but once  you think  about  what you're  going  to do",  then we talk about  it, you know. And so I think sometimes it helps, you know. But right  now I've  got to go, darling. 

Dr. C: Well, thank you very much. M: Oh, I enjoyed this.   I enjoy being with you. 

Dr. C:  Well, thank you.   I enjoyed it too. 

M: So maybe we can do it again someday. (Here she expressed interest and enthusiasm and a desire to speak more 

about her interesting life.) 

technology to bring dysphoric affect charged stressful imagery into clinical diagnostic/psychotherapeutic interviews is well documented. Please always keep in mind the risk/benefits of these powerful projective techniques! 

References: 

Cassell, W.A. (2011a) Editorial: Dissolving Death 

Anxiety with Yoga Empowered. SIS Journal of Projective Psychology & Mental Health, 18: 123128.

Cassell, W.A. (2014) Editorial: A Spiritual “Afterlife” Death Dream, SIS Journal of Projective Psychology & Mental Health, 21:1 1-2. 

Cassell, W.A. and Dubey, B.L. (2012a) Spiritual Warfare and SIS Spiritual Symbols, SIS Journal of Projective Psychology & Mental Health, 19:2, 80-90.  

Cassell, W. A. Dubey, B. L. and  Roth, G. J. (1997) Medical, Psychological and Spiritual Application of the SIS Inkblots. SIS Journal of Projective Psychology & Mental Health, 4, 89-112. 

Cassell, W.A., Dubey, B.L.,   Charles, T.  and Dwivedi, P. (2013)  Perceiving One’s Own Dead Body and Death Anxiety Dissolving SIS Spiritual Symbols, SIS Journal of Projective Psychology

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