Description
Book SynopsisThis book is about the psychoanalytically informed understanding, recognition, and treatment of severe psychological trauma. It goes beyond the limited notion of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and addresses the issues associated with problems ranging from physical and sexual abuse to genocidal persecution.
Trade ReviewThis dynamic and passionate book brilliantly draws the reader into the chaotic and dreadfully injured world of those of our patients who have suffered unspeakable traumas and personality fragmentation. Brenner's evocative and genuine writing style guides one in a deeply disturbing journey, which is so intense it is at times necessary for even the experienced clinician to take a break. Gently and patiently he provides solid benchmarks for the clinician and unfailing hope and compassion for the patients. His dissertation on self disclosure and activity of the analyst is a gem in its own right. Brenner is a leader of a new breed of psychoanalysts who are flexible and open in their theoretical and clinical models and insist on keeping the patients' needs at the center of the treatment, in the best Hippocratic tradition. This is destined to be a classic. -- Stuart W. Twemlow, MD, clinical professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Kansas School of Medicine
Psychic Trauma is conceptually astute, clinically sensitive, and—that all too rare attribute—it is a pleasure to read. Brenner's lucid exploration of the nuances of intergenerational trauma and Dissociative Identity Disorder is illustrated with rich clinical material and informed by his humane sensibility to the therapist's counter-transference issues. This book is essential reading for all mental health clinicians. -- Peter Loewenberg, PhD, dean and chair of the Education Committee of the Southern California Psychoanalytic Institute and professor of history and polit
A fascinating exploration of the field of trauma, its dynamics, symptoms and treatment. Through this analytic journey, readers can observe the impact of overwhelming life experiences on those affected by severe early sexual abuse, as well as on those marked by the genocidal persecution of the Holocaust. This is a fine fusing of psychodynamic thinking with interactive and neurological approaches that yields an integrative perspective for a richer understanding of trauma. -- Ilany Kogan, training analyst, Israel Psychoanalytic Society; author of The Struggle Against Mourning
Dr. Brenner has written a path-breaking and pioneering book, which creates a theoretical and clinical model for the understanding and treatment of severely traumatized patients, whose symptoms are of such gravity that they were hitherto considered unsuitable for psychoanalytic treatment. The book studies the architecture of the human mind and its dynamic processes through case presentations of severely traumatized patients. With each chapter another powerful drama unfolds in front of the reader—its plot being life and transference re-enactments of traumatic neuroses. Dr. Brenner is a passionate and empathic observer whose clinical case studies allow for insight of exceptional depth. He is a careful chronicler of his patients' evolving stories and a powerful facilitator of their treatments. The book presents a variety of traumatized patients, such as victims of incest, of sexual abuse during childhood, and with Holocaust survivors. Dr. Brenner carefully avoids any equations and leaves it to his readers to find resonances between the different classes of 'unmetabolized introjects' of severe trauma. -- Dori Laub, MD
Table of ContentsChapter 1 An Effect on Development: Trauma and Dissociation Chapter 2 A Longstanding Secret: Mother-Adult Daughter Incest and "The Confusion of Tongues" Chapter 3 An Elusive Manifestation and an Attempt to Study It Chapter 4 The Lifelong Persistence of Symptoms: Returning to the Fire Chapter 5 Intergenerational Transmission: Barbed Wire in the Soul Chapter 6 An Effect on Development: Unresolved Grief and the Manic Defense Chapter 7 The Analyst's Own Trauma: Anonymity and Its Discontents Chapter 8 Falling Asleep on the Job: Facilitation of the Patient's Process or the Analyst's Resistance? Chapter 9 Can the Length of Treatment Be Shortened? A Psychoanalytic View of E.M.D.R
