Postponing trauma: the dangers of telling

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Psychoanalysis
• Trauma Studies

Background:

• Major historical trauma survivors face profound difficulties.
• Silence can lead to a 'death in life,' while speaking out carries risks of somatic, psychotic, or suicidal consequences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the risks and potential therapeutic solutions for survivors of historical trauma within psychoanalysis.
• To examine the consequences of suspending denial and splitting strategies.

Main Methods:

• Discussion of psychoanalytic strategies and interpretive registers.
• Analysis of the 'free association' technique and its potential dangers, including negative therapeutic reactions.

Main Results:

• The act of 'telling' can trigger shame and terror, questioning the possibility of subjectivation.
• Avoidance of trauma may paradoxically serve as a defense against chaos, posing an ethical dilemma for analysts.

Conclusions:

• The paper discusses the challenges of 'telling' trauma without re-traumatization.
• It explores innovative analytic strategies, such as analysts sharing the analysand's shame or grief, to facilitate healing.