The anticipation of enjoyment by the body in the case of trauma: a case of repetition compulsion

In his article « Le temps logique et l’assertion de certitude anticipee » Lacan makes a distinction between three different instances of time : « l’ instant de voir, le temps de comprendre et le moment de conclure ». The purpose of this paper is to explain how the body and its jouissance in the case of trauma may function as a kind of “moment the conclure” in such a way that the body acts without the subject’s understanding of what is happening. Based on a case of trauma we will show how the body anticipates on a kind of enjoyment, without the subject knowing it, let alone being able to speak about it. “Le temps pour comprendre” comes with the subject wanting to know because this wanting initiates “l’instant de voir”. If the subject comes to a real understanding via symbolization of what happens, this bodily inscribed knowledge may be transformed into symbolic knowledge. Ideally, this will provide the subject with the possibility of making a choice, instead of being subjected to the traumatic repetition compulsion.