A masterful clinical observer, Pierre Janet spent decades at the Salpêtrière hospital documenting the strange and bewildering symptoms of hysteria—loss of sensation, paralyzed limbs, forgotten pasts, fleeting personalities. In "The Major Symptoms of Hysteria," he presents these phenomena not as theatrical tricks but as coherent expressions of a disunified mind. This modern-English edition strips away archaic translation and dense period prose, allowing today's reader to follow Janet's clear, compassionate reasoning. He shows how traumatic memories can narrow consciousness, how fixed ideas can govern the body, and how a divided self can produce real paralysis without organic cause. Whether you are a student of psychology, a clinician, or a curious reader drawn to the mysteries of the human mind, Janet's work offers a stepping stone to modern trauma theory, dissociation studies, and the history of psychotherapy. Part of The Modern Wisdom Library.