Therapeutic work with transgenerational trauma

Abstract

The work describes, using clinical examples, how working with a mother-child dyad or with a parental couple and a child allows us to stop negative or traumatic intergenerational transmission. Starting from the theory of Winnicott's holding, Bowlby's attachment, and Green's “dead mother” concepts, we describe the formation of a transgenerational message. We deal with the transmission of relational trauma, consisting in such an interaction between parents and a child, in which the attachment figure becomes a source of threat. Since transgenerational trauma affects not only individuals but most of all relationships between them, we can observe and treat it also in relationships. A special type of psychotherapy is helpful here, known as parent-infant psychotherapy. The sooner such psychotherapy is undertaken after the birth of a new family member, the greater the chance that we will protect the next generation from the transmission of trauma. Working on breaking the transgenerational transmission of trauma through psychotherapy for parents with babies is working on a bond. Important elements of this work are family history and observation. The therapist observes the child's behavior, the parent's behavior, interactions between child and parents, child and therapist, mother and father, and parents and therapist. The observation is accompanied by a comment, thanks to which the therapist helps the family find connections between the conclusions from the observation, information from the family interview, the reported problem, and current and past events in the family. In this way, family members can reunite in a new, non-traumatic way.