The patient [who had previous epileptic fits] sat in a semi-reclining chair with electrodes fixed to his scalp for brain-wave recording. It had been a "tough week", he said, characterized by arguments with his wife and mother. Sodium amytal [was given] at the rate of one-and-a-half grains per minute for three minutes. The relaxation induced at the start of injection was, in this case, transitory. He began to display increased tension. Asked, "What is the matter?" he replied, "My m-m-m-mother." He grimaced, growled, and spoke rather disconnectedly of his mother. He appeared alternately angry and in pain. Comments about his mother were interspersed with groans of "Oh... Oh.. Oh...!" Asked, "How does your mother bother you?" he said, "I wish I could get ahold of her. I'd k-k-kill her. She's no good... She's always bothering me... all the time... all the time..." He seemed to be barely restraining great rage.

"My mother killed my father," he continued. "I'll kill her sometime. She drives me crazy." He clenched his fists, raised them to his forehead, and appeared no longer able either to contain his rage or express it. Suddenly his face went blank and he gave a short, strangled cry. Then a violent muscular spasm seized him; he went rigid; his face contorted in a great grimace; his back arched; his arms flexed strongly across his chest; his legs were straight and stiff. This rigid muscular spasm relaxed and returned in a series of alternating contractions and relaxations typical of a major convulsion. Brain waves during his two minute seizure were characteristic of a major convulsive fit. Hypnoidal reliving of reactions to his mother had been aborted by the eruption of an epileptic fit .

(Janov tsiteerib siin amütaalispetsialisti Wayne Barkeri raamatut "Brain Storms", 1968 ja lisab imestades, et soodiumamütaal on ju selgelt antikonvulsiivne vahend.)