Garden Lawrence Durrell. Photo: Eleni Sevin
Eleni Sevin and Spasmophilia
In her book ‘Shadow-boxing with the Past’ Letter to Lawrence Durrell: On spasmophilia and an astounding quest, Eleni Sevin discusses her genetic muscular disorder, spasmophilia, something from which many people suffer unwittingly, since the disorder is unknown to many doctors and therapists. And this while in France, for example, about 14% of the population are latently spasmophilic…
With this book, Eleni attempts to dispel this ignorance, by naming the affliction appropriately and mapping out its extensive clinical picture – chiefly through describing her own quest for a certain balance. She hopes in this way to inform spasmophilic patients and those close to them, and perhaps also to arouse interest among doctors and therapists.
Although the book stands entirely on its own merits, in a sense it follows on from ‘A Bite of Ice-cream’, since it too is written in the form of a letter to Lawrence Durrell – this because, to an important extent, the book concerns one of Durrell’s own preoccupations: the spiritual journey through life. Indeed, Durrell tried hard to interest the atheistic Eleni in spirituality, without apparent success. At the time of his death and thereafter, however, events conspired to change Eleni’s outlook dramatically.
Subsequently, Eleni’s search for healing led her into some very strange and symbolic pathways, back into her early life, and – not a normal course of events, this – further back still…
Cover painting: Willem Boogaard
‘Celstraf’ Spasmofilie of Constitutionele latente tetanie, a Dutch-language book, deals with that same genetic muscular disorder: spasmophilia. In it Eleni Sevin again tries to provide information for spasmophilic patients and other interested parties.
She depicts her healing journey, dealing with the entire period of her illness – from the foetal period right up to the present day.
As a decompensated spasmophile from birth, Eleni has had to contend with a multitude of experiences. In writing about them, she aims to advise other patients.
Besides that, she describes her personal struggle with Dutch medical professionals and the Dutch social institutions in her efforts to obtain recognition for the affliction.That is one of the reasons why this book differs from ‘Shadow-boxing with the Past’. ‘Celstraf’ also emphasizes the need to begin treating the illness as soon as it is discovered. In the long run, those chronic muscular convulsions will eventually cause real physical problems that can no longer be cured.
ISBN: 978-94-022-0790-3
August 2017.
Photo: Eleni Sevin
Just like that, during my first treatments in Paris, in 1992, this information was to be read in every metro I took. ‘Les 1000 visages de la spasmophilie…’ I’m afraid it’s not so easy to read – I took the picture with my very old camera. But quand-même, so unknown, and hardly or no interest for this affliction in many countries… In the Parisian metro: Just like that, indeed!
More information about spasmophilia in English will be given soon, as I can’t expect the English reader to have a look in my book, because it’s written in Dutch. Some ‘non-spasmophilic’ persons in Holland, who read it, informed me afterwards that the contents of the book served them as well.
January 2025
Just recently, 20 January 2025, I finished another Dutch language manuscript on Spasmophilia. The working title is: Zielhouetten. Spasmofilie als brug naar autobiografieën van een roerige ziel, and in this case, it is about those strange and sometimes symbolic path-ways I had to walk; not only back into my early life, as well as the genetic patterns, but – not a normal course of events, indeed – further back in time still. Nowadays more attention is given to this last phenomena. But when I started my journey (1993) people in the Netherlands had great difficulty, with adventures in other lifetimes – as I had myself too, especially in the beginning of the dismantling of those horrible intruders. Crazy experiences for an atheistically raised person. And unfortunately, as it was a long series of them, the treatments had a huge impact on my everyday life, in addition to those concerning my typical spasmophilic inheritance. Removing it all from my cell memory and system was quite intertwined and the whole process lasted until about six months ago.
In this manuscript too, there appeared to be room for Larry, who turned out to have played a not to be underestimated role in this spiritual mess.
I closed this manuscript with the lyrics of a Dutch song, a kind of carnival song, but with a serious tone about it: So many animals are suffering from diseases and the horrible ‘culling’ of large numbers of chickens, pigs and cows, which – in this song – makes me switch to the also fleshy mushrooms instead of meat, to relieve the terrible fate of animals a bit, and also because this provides a certain state of ‘enlightenment’ – ask the many tourists who visit Amsterdam just for this reason…
Below you’ll find the Dutch lyrics of the song and you can also listen to it.
Unfortunately, both songs on this website were recorded in great haste at the time, and in one go, because of the high prices in the recording studio…
Dear reader, I keep you posted and wish you a marvellous year!
Het vegetarisch kooklied.
(Lyrics&Music, Piano &Voice: Eleni Sevin, Accordion: Ron Verhoeff. Buma/Stemra no. 1020979
Kukeleku… Tok, tok, tok, tok, tok…
’t Begon met: Zeg klein giftig mormel Salmonella
Ben je nou zo kippig dat je denkt: ‘Het wordt wel gepikt.’
Want, zeker weten, Salmonella
Het gepluimde vee is niet oké, maar ook je eitjes zijn getikt.
Zo’n lekker eitje bij ‘t ontbijt is voor mij verleden tijd
En ik ben ook niet het rund dat met sudderlapjes stunt
Ach, ik zweer je dat het waar is, iedereen wordt vegetarisch
Het milieu is dan gediend en je houdt het dier te vriend…
En daarna overvleugeld door de vogelpest
Dat was de nekslag voor de kippen en dat voelde heel niet best
Overal was men bezig ze te ruimen
Het was na het varken en de koe niet meer te pruimen
Och, de wereld zal moeten draaien zonder filet of karbonaaien
Maar, kijk eens even naar de grond, want wat daar groeit is pas gezond
Ja,, ik kan je toevertrouwen, al dat vlees mogen ze houen
Want ik krijg zo’n vrij gevoel na het eten van een paddenstoel
Kabouter Spillebeen vond ze al ‘cool
Je bent om op te vreten Cantharella, jouw toch vlezig lijf verrukt mij
Ik val op jou, mijn paddenstoel
Want begeerlijk is mijn Catharella
Echt, probeer haar maar eens uit en eet haar voor het goede doel
Voor vele soorten ben ik gezwicht…
en ik voel me blij verlicht…
Kukeleku… Tok, tok, tok, tok, tok…