The main promoter PSYCHOANALYSIS IN BRAZIL

DR. GASTON PEREIRA DA SILVA

Dr. Wagner Paulon
1978 - 2010

The Brazilian Council of Psychoanalysis (INNG) and its regional pay homage to the main
promoter of psychoanalysis in Brazil, Dr. Gaston Pereira de Silva, who was somewhat
forgotten, vilified and humiliated many times by "gentlemen scholars and academics" of time
and still by many today.

Journalist, physician, psychoanalyst, researcher and author, Dr. Gaston Pereira da Silva (1897-
1987), during the Vargas Era. Born in S. José do Norte, Brazil, 17 November 1898. Of the
Medical Fac Med Rio de Janeiro. Doctor within the RS. Medical analyst in Rio de Janeiro.
Biographer, novelist, translator and playwright. It was the first and greatest popularizer of
psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud in Brazil.

Dr. Gaston Pereira da Silva, one of the first psychoanalysts of Rio de Janeiro, who began his
practice in the '30s, never enter into any of the companies founded after training and is often
overlooked by the big stories of psychoanalysis in Brazil, unlike in Port- Carrero, Arthur Ramos
and other "pioneers", all professors, prominent members of the National Academy of
Medicine, or occupants of public office, Dr. Gaston Pereira da Silva says he practiced medicine
"by mule" inside before interested Psychoanalysis was in the late '20s.

He became famous as combative critic of the rules and regulations of the training
recommended by the psychoanalyst Psycoanalytic International Association (IPA), by judging
them for being elitist and emphatically in favor of lay analysis. Besides fighting to make the
debate about psychoanalysis a topic more accessible to the lay public, Dr. Gaston Pereira da
Silva was a severe critic of the elitist standards of training in psychoanalysis.

In addition to its performance in the press, with passages in the journals (Carioca, Let's Read,
Don Casmurro and Sexual Selections), Dr. Gaston Pereira da Silva worked as doctor,
psychoanalyst, writer, researcher and journalist. He wrote over 50 books, written in order to
make reading of the assumptions accessible to the lay reader, such as radio programs created
radio-theater and radio drama on Radio National, becoming a household name in the
introduction of psychoanalysis on the days of our urban population. Defender of press
freedom and human rights, was a partner and director of ABI - Brazilian Press Association and
member of the Brazilian Society of Criminology (BSC).

Of their initiatives, Dr. Gaston Pereira da Silva also created in 1955, a course called
Introduction to Psychoanalysis by mail that was intended for dissemination of Freudian theory
without any medical or therapeutic nature. We used the post office as a means of
dissemination of psychoanalysis answering innumerable letters from those who took
knowledge that Dr. Gaston Pereira da Silva answer your questions. He devoted himself to
private practice in psychoanalytic practice since the 30s to the 70s.

The trajectory d Dr. Gaston Pereira da Silva is woven with the progress of the planned speech
as a social practice and consists of a biography by the legacy of the Enlightenment ideals (of
inequality between men ...) the emancipation of the subject of universal design knowledge,
access to the advances of science under the auspices of liberty, equality and fraternity. This
triad led him to take upon itself the dissemination of psychoanalysis as a project based on
libertarian ideals of modernity.

1
Preferring the media, ie newspaper, radio and magazine to the academy, he became one of
the biggest promoters of psychoanalysis. In order to make explicit the Freudian doctrine
accessible to the average reader published in 1931, the book (To understand Freud). This first
book by Dr. Gaston Pereira da Silva, who in 1942 is in its sixth edition, is published at the
expense of the author. The following books are published by several publishers, including the
prestigious Jose Olympio, who in 50 years begins publishing his complete works.

Among the numerous titles of his own encounter "Lenin and Psychoanalysis," Psychoanalysis
and Crime "," Neurosis of the Heart, "" Sex Education of Children, "" The Twelve Lessons in
Psychoanalysis "," Know thyself by Dreams, "" Sexual Drama of Our Children "," Vices of the
Imagination "(first published by José Olympio, in 1939, will have six editions until 1956) and"
The Taboo of Virginity. "

To get an idea of the prolixity of Dr. Gaston, suffice it to say that in 1933, when he was
released the third edition of "To understand Freud, he also published" A to 40 million,
"Procopio Ferreira through psychoanalysis and "Lenin and Psychoanalysis."

In 1934 he published "The 12 lessons in psychoanalysis," "Sex Education of the Child",

"Psychoanalysis and Neurosis of the Heart", each by a publisher (Modern, Mariza, Andersen
and Atlantis).

It is also interesting to follow its relations with José Olympio, the most prestigious publisher in
the period, responsible for publishing the biggest names in Brazilian literature of the time.

In 1939, they decided to publish "Vices of the imagination," with a second edition in 42, 46 in a
third and a fourth on 48. Meanwhile he released "How to interpret dreams" in 1943 and "How
to practice psychoanalysis in 1948. As you can see, the investment company which published
(José Lins do Rego, Rachel de Queiroz, Graciliano Ramos and Jorge Amado, among others).

Editora Jose Olympio invested much in Dr. Gaston Pereira da Silva, having AIDS, it seems,
largely paid off, as the books of Dr. Gaston Pereira da Silva not only sold its first edition,
however, continued selling in the course of time .

Besides books, Gaston remained intense in the press. In 1934, he created the column in the
magazine Carioca Psychoanalysis of Dreams, illustrated by a photograph of Freud (which gives
rise to the book "Know thyself by dreams"). In the magazine, (Let's Read), maintained a
column titled Home of the mothers (who gave birth to the book "Know Your Child").

Later worked in the (Revised Sexual Selections), with the "Confidences". Even in the '30s,
remained for three years (the "In the world of dreams"), on Radio National, in which, in his
words, "radiofonizava dreams (sent by listeners)," as if they were little stories, sketches ,
interpreted by the cast of radio plays that station. In the same period, he began writing radio
soap operas of psychoanalytic slant on his autobiography, lists 44 titles of his own that were
aired.

It also created a course of psychoanalysis by post, on which he wrote: "The power of

penetration that was being done on the other hand, the number of a single mailbox, via radio,
allowed me to establish contact with many people suffering, forgotten so to speak, in some
villages so far, as even the strangest of maps.. "

2
In his writings, plus an entire educational effort to disseminate the basics of Freudian theory
(the unconscious, infantile sexuality, the Oedipus complex, the superego) with an accessible
language, Dr. Gaston Pereira da Silva also authors and publishes sexological theories of the
time.

His books are full of reports of cases that reached readers of your speakers or listeners of his
programs, especially dreams. All, of course, with highly sexual content. This feature, plenty of
examples and accounts of experiences, dissemination distinguishes the books of Dr. Gaston
Pereira da Silva from those written by great scholars, who were also seeking a lesser extent, in
addressing the general public.

This is a feature that if one hand can be seen as sensationalist, on the other hand, takes the
average reader is to identify with what is being reported, is to examine your own experience,
in order to identify their own feelings and experiences, are they similar? Will things go the
same way with me?

The primary pedagogical objective is not only disclose the content of the doctrine, but above
all disclose a sense of self questioning, which, once accomplished, leads to "correct" way to
name, circumscribe, and interpret their own conflicts. And of course, the need to talk about
themselves, revealing their innermost feelings, to a specialist. This is a specialist, not the priest,
the parents or a friend, a person designated to hear our confidences, which we dare not
confess to anyone.

At the same time, the questioning conducted through case studies and experiences and put on
trial conduct or standards dictated by tradition. Children's education, through female virginity
until marriage sexuality in these behaviors more intimate, more private, migrated from the
tradition of the harvest for the neutral view of science. It was not, however, explicitly to guide
behavior.
Gaston in his books does not necessarily make claims about what one should not do.

The pedagogical nature of his writings is more on teaching a new way of looking at yourself
and others, which implies the questioning of certain issues or certain areas of life. You could
say that the extensive production of Dr. Gaston Pereira da Silva points to the existence at the
time, a kind of psychoanalytic self-help-sexologist who seemed to do quite successfully and it
certainly reached those sectors of the middle class more touched by the eternal process
modernization and transformation of values that passed and still passes the Brazilian society.

Which brings us to the fact already noted in regard to Argentina and France, which preceded
the popularization of psychoanalysis (and perhaps facilitated) its institutionalization. Namely,
when the envoys arrived from the IPA to form the first Brazilian psychoanalysis, had already
been produced, albeit in nascent form, a demand for this strange kind of treatment. Some
decades later, as we know, this demand has acquired features of a nascent epidemic, leading
legions of misguided children of the urban middle classes to the couch.

The so-called psychoanalytic boom of the 70s, slowly prepared, as we saw, for the
popularization of 30-40 years, reaffirms, through her undeniable bond with the authoritarian
modernization of the period, intrinsically modernizing / civilizing assumed by psychoanalysis in
Brazilian soil.

Bibliography: Blood, Sexual History of a Crime, romance, 1928, 235p., Ofs. Grafs. A
Pernambuco, Rio de Janeiro, RJ. Forty to One Million - Procopio Ferreira Through
psychoanalysis, study, 1933, 177p., Editora Moderna, Rio de Janeiro. Prudente de Moraes, The

3
Peacemaker, political biography, 1937, 267p., Valverde Zélio Editor, Rio de Janeiro. Rodrigues
Alves and his season, political biography, undated (1939), 254p., Editor Night. Rio de Janeiro.
Vices of the Imagination-Media Fix them, study, 1939, 212p. Liv. José Olympio Editora, Rio de
Janeiro. Vices of Imagination ... psychoanalytic study, 2. ed., 1942, 268p. Liv. José Olympio
Editora, Rio de Janeiro; 3.ed., 1945, 301p. same company 4. ed., 1948, 252p., same publisher
and local 5.ed., 1952, 242p., same publisher and place. 6. ed., 1956, 234p., same publisher and
place. The Romance of Oswaldo Cruz, biography, 1. ed., s / d, 282p. Publisher Brasilia, Rio de
Janeiro, 2. ed., 1942, 342p. Publishing Night, Rio de Janeiro. To understand Freud's essay, 5.
ed., 1940, 257p., PI., civilization Brasileira, Rio de Janeiro; 6.ed., 1942, 275p., Editora Mundo
Latino, Rio de Janeiro. Normal and Pathological Urine, medicine, 1940, 180p. Scientific
Publishing, New York. Freud, biographical study, 1941, 64p. Publishing Night, Rio de Janeiro.
The Enemy of Women, a comedy by Goldoni, trans., 1941 (14.7), rep. Cia Teatro Procopio
Ferreira in Serrador, Rio de Janeiro. To understand Freud's essay, 1935, 240p., Columbia
University Press, New York. Know Your Child, Education, 1941, 300p., Night Editor, Rio de
Janeiro; 2.ed., 1952, 297p., Same publisher and place. Xavier da Silveira and the Republic of 89,
study biopolitical, 1940, 274p., PI., Columbia University Press, New York. Vargas and
Psychoanalysis of Crowds, study, s / d, 127p., Valverde Zélio Editor, Rio de Janeiro. Note:
Brazilian Bibliography, INL, gives as published in 1940. Famous Patients, disclosure, 1942,
268p., PI., EPASA, Rio de Janeiro. Vargas and the intellectual aspect of your work, essay. 1942,
74p., Graphic Guarani, Rio de Janeiro. Psychoanalysis in 12 Lessons, disclosure, 3. ed., s / d,
155p., EPASA, Rio de Janeiro. Note: B. B. LNL, gives as published in 1943. How To interpret
dreams, study, 1943, 294p. Liv. José Olympio Editora, Rio de Janeiro. Women in Russia, social
study, 1944, 206p., EPASA, Rio de Janeiro. The Beasts Loves So ... disseminating scientific,
1944, 288p., Our Book Editor, Rio de Janeiro. Eduardo Gomes, biography, 1945, 187p., EPASA,
Rio de Janeiro. Almeida Júnior - His Life and His Work, biography inf., 1946, 159p., PI.,
Publisher of Brazil, Rio de Janeiro. Constituents of 1946, foreshortening Biographical, 1947,
331p. Publisher Spinosa, Rio de Janeiro. The Taboo of Virginity, study, 1947, 197p. Latin World
Publishing, New York, 2. ed., 1948, 189p., same publisher and local 3.ed., 1952, 189p., same
publisher and local 4.ed., 1955, 193p. same publisher and place 5. ed., 1957, 189p., same
publisher and local 6.ed. 1961, 124p., Same publisher and local 7.ed., 1967, 197p., Same
publisher and place. How to Practice Psychoanalysis, disclosure. 148, 228p. Liv. José Olympio
Editora, Rio de Janeiro. What Is Psychoanalysis?, Disclosure, 1959, 101p., Organization Simões,
Rio de Janeiro. Neurosis of the Heart or The False Heart, div. medical, 1961, 124p. Gold-
Graphics Issues Tecnoprint, Rio de Janeiro. Atheism Freud's essay, 1966, 118p., Zahar Editores,
Rio de Janeiro. God and Human Anguish, philosophical essay, 1968, 232p., Editora Itatiaia, Belo
Horizonte. Psychoanalysis and parapsychology, study, 1968, 240p., Editora Itatiaia, Belo
Horizonte.