Holocaust Trauma and Psychic Deformation Psychoanalytic Reflections of a Holocaust Survivor

Written by a survivor of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, this moving and important book examines the massive psychic trauma su?ered by a generation of Holocaust survivors. It not only provides both an intimate and personal re?ection on these harrowing events, but also o?ers an in-depth, clinical perspective on an often-misunderstood phenomenon.

As a child during this period, the book begins by examining the author?s own experience as a refugee in the aftermath of the Holocaust, the psycho- logical impact of displacement after such traumatic events, and his attempt to ?ee its damage through medical and psychoanalytic training. But the second half of the book broadens the perspective to o?er a clinical exploration of the psychic e?ects of surviving the Holocaust. A range of concepts are addressed and explored, from powerlessness and survivor guilt, to psychic security and recovered memories. The book concludes by examining how psychic trauma is processed, and the clinical implications for when disorders emerge and dysfunction results.

An insightful and honest account of massive psychic trauma, this remarkable book will resonate not only with those a?ected by or interested in the experiences of Holocaust survivors, but also any clinical practitioner working with clients who have experienced this type of intense trauma.

Chapter 1: Introduction

Chapter 2: Legacies

Chapter 3: The War After

Chapter 4:Escape

Chapter 5: Adaptation and Maladaptation

Chapter 6: Child Survivors of the Holocaust: Groups and Groupings, Healing Wounds

Chapter 7: The Holocaust and the Power of Powerlessness: Survivor Guilt and Unhealed Wound

Chapter 8: Psychic Security: Its Origins and Development and Disruptions

Chapter 9: Life, Death and the Power of Powerlessness

Chapter 10: Inaccessible Memory: Recovered Traumatic Memory, True and False

Chapter 11: Psychic Survival Management: The Psychic Guardian and Compartmentalisation

Chapter 12: Functional Disorders of the Psychic Guardian and Pathology: Clinical Implications

Alfred Garwood, a survivor of Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, is a retired Honorary Consultant Adult Psychotherapist, a general medical practitioner and Founder of the Child Survivors’ Association of Great Britain.