ABSTRACT
In his prophetic dream of the self-dissection of his pelvis, Freud awoke in mental fright at the moment of the thought that "children may perhaps achieve what their father has failed to". In the dream this thought is represented by the image crossing over the chasm not on boards but on the bodies of children. This chapter describes how, after Jung's refusal to serve as a "board-child", Ferenczi took over this role for Freud. Initially self-analysis was recommended by Freud for budding psychoanalysts. Like Jung, Ferenczi believed that self-analysis was not effective and, in particular, that Freud's self-analysis had not been effective, yet, differently from Jung, Ferenczi did not confront Freud openly on this point. For many years, the mutilations of genital organs represented a constant concern for Ferenczi, affecting his research, starting with his observation of Arpad in 1912.
