Related Experiment Videos
Psychoanalytic psychotherapy with traumatized refugees: integration, symbolization, and mourning
1Psychosocial Centre for Refugees, University of Oslo, Norway. sverrev@ulrik.uio.no
American Journal of Psychotherapy
|April 29, 1998
Summary
Severe trauma, like torture, remains unresolved due to lack of symbolization, impacting personality structure. Psychotherapy for trauma survivors involves navigating the paradox of retraumatization for healing.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Trauma Studies
- Psychotherapy Research
Background:
- Severe trauma, such as torture, often leads to unresolved psychological states.
- Unresolved trauma results from experiences that are not symbolized, leading to dissociation or fragmentation of the personality.
Observation:
- The impact of trauma on personality structure varies with severity, regression depth, age, and life circumstances.
- Patients with severe trauma frequently experience fear of retraumatization during psychotherapy.
- The psychotherapeutic process inherently involves confronting painful experiences for healing.
Findings:
- Dissociated or warded-off personality parts can result from unresolved traumatic experiences.
- Severe consequences include personality fragmentation and a profound lack of trust in others.
- The psychotherapeutic situation's totality must be considered to address psychopathology.
Implications:
- Understanding the paradoxical nature of psychotherapy is crucial for treating trauma survivors.
- Tailoring therapeutic approaches to address specific aspects of trauma-related psychopathology is essential.
- Clinical vignettes highlight the practical application of these concepts in therapy.