It is unlikely that any psychiatrist will ever be able to accurately diagnose all of Hitler's mental illnesses and combine them into a sufficiently succinct and comprehensive formulation. There were so many deviations in the psyche of the German dictator that they simply do not fit into the standard diagnosis for ordinary patients.
The future dictator was mercilessly beaten by his father
The roots of mental illness are usually found in the childhood of the sick. Therefore, of course, psychiatrists did not ignore Hitler's childhood. His sister Paula told them how his father severely punished little Adolf, as a result of which it was believed that Hitler's aggressiveness was the result of Oedipal hatred of his father.
The dictator's father, Alois Schicklgruber (at 40 changed his last name to Hitler), was known as an insatiable voluptuary. His many connections on the side were sometimes not enough to fully satisfy his lust. Once he brutally raped his wife who had refused him intimacy in front of the young Adolf. Perhaps this incident left its mark on the entire sex life of the future dictator.
Mother Klara pathologically loved her boy (before him she lost three sons), and he responded in kind. Of the six children of Alois and Clara, only two survived - Adolf and the weak-minded Paula. Hitler called himself mama's boy all his life. Pathological love for the mother and hatred for the father became the cause of many negative features of his psyche.
Blinded by fear
Promotional video:
If you believe Hitler, then in the First World War he was a brave soldier and honestly earned his reward - the iron cross. Only the British gas attack in 1918, due to which he temporarily lost his sight, interrupted his military career. However, recently the British historian Thomas Weber, on the basis of archival documents, letters and diaries of Hitler's fellow soldiers, managed to dispel this legend about the heroism of the gallant corporal in the trenches of the First World War.
The historian discovered the correspondence of the famous German neurosurgeon Otfried Förster with his American colleagues. In one of the letters, he mentioned that in the 1920s, Hitler's medical card accidentally fell into his hands and he read the diagnosis that the doctors gave him.
It turned out that Hitler temporarily lost his sight not because of the gas attack, but because of hysterical amblyopia. This rare disease occurs during mental stress, for example, due to a strong fear of military action. The brain, as it were, refuses to perceive the terrible pictures of reality and stops receiving signals from the optic nerves, while the vision itself remains in order.
Such a disease simply could not have happened to a brave soldier, but Hitler was not. He served as a signalman at the headquarters and was far from the front line, his fellow soldiers even nicknamed him "the rear pig." However, Hitler knew how to please his superiors, for which, according to Weber, he received the iron cross.
Hitler's blindness was treated with hypnosis sessions. Healing hypnosis at the hospital was carried out by the professor of neurology Edmund Forster from the University of Greifswald. It was to him that the blind corporal Hitler fell. For about two months Forster tried to find the key to the subconscious of this man, who had lost faith in his future. Finally, the professor found out that his patient had extremely painful pride, and understood how, thanks to this, he could influence the patient's psyche during a hypnosis session.
In a completely dark room, Forster put Hitler into a hypnotic trance and told him: “You are really blind, but once every 1,000 years a great man is born on Earth, who awaits a great destiny. Perhaps you are destined to lead Germany forward. If so, then God will return your sight right now."
After these words, Forster struck a match and lit a candle, Hitler saw the flame … Adolf was simply shocked, because he had long since said goodbye with the hope of someday to see the light. It did not even occur to the doctor that Hitler would take his words about his great destiny too seriously.
According to psychiatrist and historian David Lewis, who wrote the book "The Man Who Created Hitler", it was thanks to Forster that the thought of his great destiny arose in Hitler's head. Subsequently, Forster himself realized this. When Hitler became Chancellor of Germany in 1933, the professor, at the risk of his life, forwarded his medical history to Paris, hoping that it would be published.
Unfortunately, the publishers did not dare to publicize this case history: Germany was too close, and Hitler already had long arms at the time. This is evidenced at least by the fact that this demarche by Forster did not remain a secret for the leader of the Nazis. Two weeks after the attempt to publish the history of Hitler's illness, the professor died …
As Weber found out, everyone who knew about Hitler's true illness was destroyed, and his medical records disappeared without a trace.
Nightmare lover
With his speeches, Hitler brought women literally to ecstasy. He had many fans, but as soon as some of them achieve their cherished goal - intimacy with the Fuhrer, their life turned into a real hell.
Susie Liptower hanged herself after spending only one night with him. Geli Raubal, Hitler's niece, told her friend: "Hitler is a monster … you will never believe what he makes me do." Until now, Geli's death is shrouded in mystery. It is known that she died from a bullet. At one time there were rumors that Hitler shot Geli during a quarrel, but the official version of the Nazis said that she committed suicide.
German film star Renata Müller achieved closeness with the Fuhrer, which she immediately regretted.
Hitler began to crawl at her feet and ask for a kick … He shouted: “I am vile and unclean! Hit me! Hit! " Renata was shocked, she begged him to get up, but he crawled around her and groaned. The actress had to kick and spank him all the same … The kicks of the movie stars made the Fuhrer extremely excited … Soon after this "intimacy" Renata committed suicide by jumping out of the hotel window.
Eva Braun, who lasted the longest next to Hitler, twice tried to commit suicide, ultimately she had to do it a third time, already as the wife of a dictator … Many psychologists and sexologists doubt that Hitler was capable of normal sexual intercourse Act.
Feral sense of danger
According to various estimates, from 42 to five dozen serious attempts were made on Hitler's life. Professional bodyguards and aces of the special services absolutely cannot explain how the German dictator managed not only to save his life, but also not to receive a single serious injury. In their opinion, this is no longer just luck, but real mysticism. Usually 2-3 well-prepared assassination attempts (and most often one!) Are enough to at least, if not kill, then seriously injure a person and take him out of the game for a long time.
The most interesting thing is that Hitler often managed to save his life at the expense of a literally bestial sense of danger. For example, in 1939, during the assassination attempt by Elser, who organized an explosion in a Munich beer hall, Hitler unexpectedly left the meeting place of the party veterans early and this saved him from death. Subsequently, he said to one of his confidants: "I was overcome by a strange feeling that I should immediately leave …"
Once Hitler said: "I escaped death several times, but it was by no means accidental, an inner voice warned me, and I immediately took action." Hitler believed in this inner voice for the rest of his life.
The rearmament of the German army, the occupation of the demilitarized Rhineland, the annexation of Austria, the occupation of the Czech Republic and Moravia, the invasion of Poland - any of these actions between 1933 and 1939 should have led to a war with France and Great Britain, a war in which Germany did not have no chance of winning. However, Hitler seemed to know that the Allies would be inactive, and boldly gave orders, from which the generals of the Wehrmacht were covered with sticky sweat. It was then that a mystical belief in the Fuhrer's prophetic gift arose among Hitler's entourage.
Did Hitler really open the picture of the future? J. Brennan, author of The Occult Reich, believes that the Fuhrer, like the shamans, entered a special ecstatic state that allowed him to see the future. In a fit of rage, Hitler often became almost insane.
In a person in this state, as shown by biochemical analysis, the content of adrenaline and carbon dioxide in the blood increases sharply. This can lead to changes in the functioning of the brain and an exit to new levels of consciousness. “Intoxication of this kind brought Hitler to the point,” writes J. Brennan, “that he could throw himself on the floor and start chewing on the edge of the carpet - this behavior was observed among Haitians who surrendered to the power of spirits while performing magical rituals. This led to the fact that he was given the nickname "Carpet-eater."
Germany under hypnosis
Hitler's school teacher remembered the strange look of the teenager Adolf for the rest of his life, which made the teacher awe. Many of the Fuhrer's entourage spoke of his extraordinary hypnotic abilities. Whether they were congenital or whether Hitler took hypnosis lessons from someone is unknown. The ability to subjugate people greatly helped Hitler on his way to the heights of power. In the end, virtually all of Germany was hypnotized by the former corporal.
Geli Raubal, Hitler's niece, told her friend: "Hitler is a monster … you will never believe what he makes me do."
Here is what General Blomberg wrote about Hitler's hypnotic gift: “… I was constantly influenced by a certain force that emanated from him. She resolved all doubts and completely excluded the possibility of objecting to the Fuehrer, ensuring my complete loyalty …"
Professor H. R. Trevor-Roper, a former intelligence officer, wrote: "Hitler had a hypnotic gaze that suppresses the mind and senses of all who fall under his spell." J. Brennan in the book "Occult Reich" describes a striking case. One Englishman, a true patriot of Britain, who does not know German, while listening to the Fuehrer's speeches, involuntarily began to stretch his hand in a Nazi greeting and shout "Heil Hitler!" along with the electrified crowd …
Infernal cocktail
There were so many mental abnormalities mixed in Hitler that any, even an experienced psychiatrist would have been in obvious confusion trying to figure out the composition of the “hellish cocktail” that was seething in the head of this ordinary-looking man, a madman who at one time intended to conquer the whole world. Obvious sexual deviations, the ability to have a hypnotic effect on people, as well as an animal instinct for danger, which makes it possible to talk about certain abilities for clairvoyance - this is not all that Hitler differed from other people.
Erich Fromm, for example, noted that he had a clear tendency to necrophilia. As confirmation, he cited the following quotation from Speer's memoirs: “As far as I remember, when meat broth was served on the table, he called it“cadaverous tea”; he commented on the appearance of boiled crayfish with a story about a deceased old woman, whom her close relatives threw into a stream as bait to catch these creatures; if they ate eels, he didn't forget to mention that these fish adore dead cats and are best caught with this bait. In addition, Fromm draws attention to a strange mine on the Fuehrer's face, which is visible in many photographs, it seems that the Fuehrer constantly feels some disgusting smell …
Hitler had an amazing memory, he had the ability to preserve in it a photographically accurate representation of reality. It is believed that such a memory at an early age is inherent in only 4% of children, but as they grow up, they lose it. Both minor architectural elements of buildings and large chunks of text were perfectly imprinted in Hitler's memory. The dictator amazed the top generals of the Reich, recalling numerous figures concerning the armament of both the German army and its opponents.
The Fuhrer was an excellent imitator. As Eugen Hanfstaengl recalls: "He could imitate the hissing of geese and quacking of ducks, mooing of cows, neighing of horses, bleating of goats …"
The dictator's acting abilities were also at their best, he even knew how to influence his autonomic nervous system with the help of self-hypnosis, for example, he made himself cry without any problems, which is given to few professional actors. The tears from the Fuhrer's eyes magically affected the audience, enhancing the effect of his performances. Knowing about such a gift from Hitler, Goering at the very beginning of the Nazi movement in critical situations literally demanded: "Hitler must come here and cry a little!"
Admiral Doenitz believed that a kind of "radiation" emanated from Hitler. It had such a strong influence on the admiral that after each visit to the Fuhrer, Doenitz took several days to recover and return to the real world. Goebbels also noted the clear impact of his patron, he said that after talking with Hitler, he "feels like a recharged battery."
In many ways, Hitler's actions were determined by a very deep factor - the inferiority complex described by Alfred Adler. The dictator constantly compared himself with the great conquerors of the past and tried to surpass them. According to Alan Bullock, "a huge role in all of Hitler's policy was played by his inherent strong sense of envy, he wanted to crush his opponents."
There is no doubt that Hitler developed Parkinson's disease, which is caused by organic damage to the brain. True, the dictator managed to die before this disease had a serious impact on his health and psyche. In 1942, Hitler's left hand began to tremble, and in 1945, a disorder of facial expressions began. In the last months of his life, Hitler, according to the recollections of others, resembled a wreck and moved with great difficulty. It is known that Parkinson's disease disrupts logical thinking and the patient tends to have a more emotional perception of reality. Since 1941, Hitler has been increasingly let down by his unique memory.
So, Hitler was such a strange and abnormal person that the existence of such a "mental abnormality" is even difficult to assume. Therefore, the dictator practically did not fit into the close diagnostic schemes of various psychological and psychiatric schools, and it was not possible for him to make a comprehensive diagnosis, although such attempts were still made.
A secret psychological portrait of Hitler, compiled back in 1943 by psychiatrist Henry Murray of Harvard University, was discovered among the documents in one of the law libraries a few years ago. He was ordered by Murray from the leadership of the US Strategic Services Administration (predecessor of the CIA). The American military and intelligence officers wanted to know more about Hitler's character in order to be able to predict his actions in a given military-political situation.
Staff at Cornell University have published this 250-page analysis of Hitler's psyche and is essentially one of the first attempts to investigate the personality of a dictator. "Despite the fact that psychology has made great strides forward, the document provides an opportunity to see some of Hitler's personality traits," said Thomas Mills, a research fellow at the university library.
This curious document has the following title: "Analysis of the personality of Adolf Hitler with predictions about his future behavior and recommendations on how to deal with him now and after the surrender of Germany."
It is clear that Murray did not have the opportunity to personally examine such a dangerous "patient", so he was forced to conduct psychoanalytic studies of the dictator in absentia. All the information that could be obtained was used - the Fuhrer's pedigree, information about his school years and military service, the dictator's compositions, his public speeches, as well as testimonies of people who communicated with Hitler.
What portrait did an experienced psychiatrist manage to draw? Hitler, according to Murray, was an evil, vindictive man who did not tolerate any criticism and despised other people. He lacked a sense of humor, but more than enough stubbornness and self-confidence.
In the Fuhrer, the psychiatrist believed, the female component was quite strongly expressed, he never went in for sports, physical labor, had weak muscles. From a sexual point of view, he describes him as a passive masochist, suggesting the presence of repressed homosexuality.
Murray believed Hitler's crimes were partly due to revenge for the bullying he suffered as a child, as well as a hidden contempt for his weaknesses. The psychiatrist believed that if Germany lost the war, Hitler could commit suicide. However, if the dictator is killed, then he can turn into a martyr.
Murray's diagnosis is full of diseases. In his opinion, Hitler suffered from neurosis, paranoia, hysteria and schizophrenia. Although modern experts find in this psychological portrait of the dictator a number of misinterpretations and inaccuracies explained by the level of development of psychiatry in those years, the document found is undoubtedly unique.
Sergey STEPANOV
"Riddles and Secrets" May 2013