Henry Luce -- Did He Suffer from POIS? Post-Coital Trieste?

[Stef]

Hi All,

Demo sent me a link to a really interesting article about the American magazine magnate, Henry Luce.  Demo sent it partly because Henry Luce and his well-known (and beautiful!) spouse, Claire Booth Luce, had owned a huge estate in my home town in CT. But more importantly -- demo questions if Henry Luce suffered from POIS!

Here's the link that demo sent, from Vanity Fair magazine -- http://www.vanityfair.com/society/2014/07/clare-boothe-luce-marriage-ambassadorship.  (I'm posting the link and mentioning demo with demo's approval.)

The article primarily focuses on Claire Booth Luce and her very difficult life as Henry's spouse. Demo points out that the article refers to Henry Luce's, "... sexual 'inadequacy..." and his admitting to suffering from, "...post coitus Trieste."

They are both long gone, but Claire, and especially Henry, changed the face of magazine news reporting -- in the US and throughout the world. He was responsible for the birth of Time Magazine, Life Magazine, Fortune Magazine, and Sports Illustrated, to name a few.  He was an absolute maverick in the world of news journalism, despite his struggles with something that may -- or may not -- have been POIS.

We'll never know if Henry Luce suffered from POIS, but --  does "post-coitus Trieste" sound like an apt description of POIS?

As an aside, let me tell you all -- demo is ALWAYS -- ALWAYS -- looking out for the forum members!

Stef

 

[Nightingale]

I've seen this diagnosis, or more like description, of "post-coital Trieste" before. Forget where I heard about it.

I feel like if you really have POIS, doing something as energy-intensive as starting many of the most popular and respected magazines across the world would be an impossible task. But there are always exceptions, and there are successful and busy POISers. If we were to read of any cases of POIS in the past it would make sense that a more notable and famous person would be featured, as there was not nearly the amount of information spread about every day people's personal lives like we have today.

Thanks for sharing this!

[b_jim]

In fact, it's post-coital tristesse (in french, tristesse = sadness). Or post-coital depression.

[Defsync]

see:

http://www.forum2.org/mellon/lj/glenn.pdf


Of note to me is that malaise post coitus was noticed as far back as the ancient Greeks.

I think POIS has been around FOREVER. I think once we find out the underlying cause we are going to see that "cause" has also existed as long as mankind has.

But, because it is a SUBTLE condition, and one that is easily mixed up with psychological maladies, it has gone specifically unnoticed by modern man until the arrival of the internet, where it became easier to search worldwide for others with the same malady, at which point people start saying "hmmmm, so many people with the same condition. we might be on to something..."

I would bet my bottom dollar that a GREAT % of the homeless males out there are HOMELESS because they unknowingly suffer from POIS, and have no idea that eliminating NE's or O's would bring back their sanity, and ability to live life in the norm.

[Andy451]

I often wonder if ideas of chastity and abstinence in Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity are fully derived from beliefs or some historical POIS guys...?

Also, I read a book once, "The Intellectuals," and I was almost certain one of these men experienced POIS (, Rousseau, Shelley, Marx, Ibsen, Tolstoy, Hemingway, Bertrand Russell, Brecht, Sartre, Edmund Wilson, Victor Gollancz, Lillian Hellman, Cyril Connolly, Norman Mailer, James Baldwin, Kenneth Tynan, and Noam Chomsky) from their vivid descriptions of sexuality and "POIS creativity." Yet, for the life of me, I cannot remember which artist it was, but it wasn't Marx, Rousseau or Hemingway. I will have to read it again... Great book, but dense and wordy (British writer).

Thanks for posting Stef.

[demografx]

I often wonder if ideas of chastity and abstinence in Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity are fully derived from beliefs or some historical POIS guys...?

Also, I read a book once, "The Intellectuals," and I was almost certain one of these men experienced POIS (, Rousseau, Shelley, Marx, Ibsen, Tolstoy, Hemingway, Bertrand Russell, Brecht, Sartre, Edmund Wilson, Victor Gollancz, Lillian Hellman, Cyril Connolly, Norman Mailer, James Baldwin, Kenneth Tynan, and Noam Chomsky) from their vivid descriptions of sexuality and "POIS creativity." Yet, for the life of me, I cannot remember which artist it was, but it wasn't Marx, Rousseau or Hemingway. I will have to read it again... Great book, but dense and wordy (British writer).

Thanks for posting Stef.

I wonder if there's a way to use computer search words to find out. Example: Google Marx sexuality. Or just Marx + sex...

[Andy451]

I often wonder if ideas of chastity and abstinence in Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity are fully derived from beliefs or some historical POIS guys...?

Also, I read a book once, "The Intellectuals," and I was almost certain one of these men experienced POIS (, Rousseau, Shelley, Marx, Ibsen, Tolstoy, Hemingway, Bertrand Russell, Brecht, Sartre, Edmund Wilson, Victor Gollancz, Lillian Hellman, Cyril Connolly, Norman Mailer, James Baldwin, Kenneth Tynan, and Noam Chomsky) from their vivid descriptions of sexuality and "POIS creativity." Yet, for the life of me, I cannot remember which artist it was, but it wasn't Marx, Rousseau or Hemingway. I will have to read it again... Great book, but dense and wordy (British writer).

Thanks for posting Stef.

I wonder if there's a way to use computer search words to find out. Example: Google Marx sexuality. Or just Marx + sex...

You may be able to Demo. I will try for a baseline reference and search further if I have the time..

But, the reason I referenced that book is because it goes into excruciating detail about many traits of these men, and found it to be one of the most informative books I have ever read about the eccentric characters listed. 

[demografx]

"The Intellectuals" is on my to do list

[demografx]

[demografx]

Available used at Amazon starting at $0.01!

[demografx]

Andy, curiously, what did you mean by "POIS creativity"?

[Andy451]

Andy, curiously, what did you mean by "POIS creativity"?

I find that about 3 days after an acute POIS reaction I have a spike in creative thoughts and hyper-focus on music, literature and other artistic ventures. My perception changes as I recover from the brain fog and can solve problems in a different way. I can apply this to creativity and chess.

Everyone is different, but I have seen that some of the other guys describe a similar phenomenon with musical tastes..

[demografx]

Fascinating, Andy!

[Andy451]

La petite mort- (translation) little death , French for "the little death", is an idiom and euphemism for orgasm

Check out the link guys... How much of this is the typical experience during orgasm?

I can tell you I know this experience of sexuality all to well from my experiences with POIS.

Years ago, before POIS was understood in the med community a psychiatrist told me I have "little-death syndrome" "La petite mort." Is this true, I don't know.. I do know I have POIS. However, I find it curious that this article mentions feelings of melancholy and a sensation of a part of you dying.. 

Yet, I think more importantly this definition may provide some insight into a shift in our perception and experience in life. It is applicable to art and life experience as well. I know after my first POIS experience everything slowly became a double edged razor- just like sex. We are forced to make amends with imperfections while accepting them; using their negative energy as tools to get better. Hence, the black and white blend into a beautiful multicolored ambivalence toward self, and then the world which, induces an overwhelming sense of melancholy.

I believe this curse can be a gift if we use it.     

Link-  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_petite_mort

Happy trails