The Seba library treats Syncope in 8 passages, across 5 authors (including Caswell, Caroline P., Jung, Carl Gustav, von Franz, Marie-Louise).
In general, then, ψυχή departs at syncope and the θυμός returns; μένος is not used at all. There are, therefore, no examples of complete semantic convergence between
Caswell establishes syncope as the defining distributional context that separates psyche from thumos and menos in Homeric usage, with psyche departing at the swoon and thumos returning upon recovery.
, A Study of Thumos in Early Greek Epic, 1990thesis
certain astonishing observations in cases of profound syncope after acute injuries to the brain and in severe states of collapse. In both situations, total loss of consciousness can be accompanied by perceptions of the outside world and vivid dream experiences.
Jung cites observations of profound syncope as empirical evidence that consciousness and perception may persist even when the cerebral cortex has ceased to function, supporting the hypothesis of psychic continuity beyond physical death.
, Memories, Dreams, Reflections, 1963thesis
Jung himself mentioned the observations of Jantz and Beringer, made in cases of profound syncope following acute brain injury. It was shown that an injured subject could make clear observations of the phenomenal world with closed eyes and had intense psychic experiences.
Von Franz amplifies Jung’s argument by specifying clinical sources (Jantz and Beringer) for the claim that profound syncope permits clear perception and intense psychic experience independent of ordinary sensory function.
, Psyche and Matter, 2014thesis
she knew that behind her was a glorious, park-like landscape shining in the brightest colours… “I knew that this was the entrance to another world, and that if I turned round to gaze at the picture directly, I should feel tempted to go in at the gate”
Jung’s case vignette of a patient in syncope who perceives a luminous otherworldly landscape illustrates the clinical basis for his claims about consciousness persisting at the threshold of death.
, The Structure and Dynamics of the Psyche, 1960supporting
Nehring has argued in his comprehensive study of all Homeric scenes describing syncope that, in two occurrences of ψυχή and one of ἀποψύχω, ψυχή ‘has its original func’
Claus reviews Nehring’s philological study of Homeric syncope scenes to assess whether psyche retains its etymological sense of ‘breath’ in these contexts, linking syncope to the deep history of Greek soul-concepts.
, Toward the Soul: An Inquiry into the Meaning of Psyche before Plato, 1981supporting
the recovery of consciousness after syncope (Il. 22.475 ἐς φρένα θυμὸς ἀγέρθη)
Claus identifies the return of thumos to the phrenes as the Homeric formula marking recovery of consciousness after syncope, distinguishing it from the role of psyche at the moment of the swoon itself.
, Toward the Soul: An Inquiry into the Meaning of Psyche before Plato, 1981supporting
one describes the return of consciousness to the φρήν after syncope
Claus catalogs exceptional uses of phrēn/phrenes, noting that one instance marks the return of consciousness after syncope as distinct from ordinary cognitive or emotional usage.
, Toward the Soul: An Inquiry into the Meaning of Psyche before Plato, 1981supporting
There are men who would suffer a very syncope if you should pay all their debts, bring it about that their engagements had been kept, their letters answered, their perplexities relieved
James deploys syncope metaphorically to characterize a psychological type for whom the removal of stimulation and obligation would constitute a kind of existential collapse.
, The Varieties of Religious Experience Amazon, 1902aside