65th Annual Conference

Saturday, February 23

Morning Workshops

8:45 A.M.-12:00 noon 

Workshop 84

Is Your Trauma Showing?: The Recreation of Unconscious Traumatic Experience Between Co-Leaders

Chairs:

Lorraine B. Wodiska, Ph.D., CGP, Private Practice, Bethesda, Maryland
Barbara L. Wood, Ph.D., Private Practice, Bethesda, Maryland
 

We will explore the re-creation of traumatic experience between co-leaders of long-term therapy groups. New concepts, including "traumatic energy" and "the traumatic couple" will be used along with Bollas' idea of the "unthought known" to explain how unprocessed trauma is reflected within the co-leader couple, projected into the group and recapitulated by group members.
demonstration-didactic-sharing of work experiences-experiential
 

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:
1. Describe the concepts of "traumatic energy", "the traumatic couple" and the "unthought known".
2. Utilize a new tool (the Traumagram) to identify areas of possible traumatic conflict that might affect their behavior as group leaders.
3. Analyze traumatic aspects of their own co-leadership relationships.
 

Course References:

1. Bollas, C. (1987). The Shadow of the Object: Psychoanalysis of the Unthought Known. New York: Columbia University Press.
2. Herman, J. (1992). Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence from Domestic Abuse to Political Terror. New York: Basic Books.
3. McGolderick, M. & R. Gerson. (1985). Genograms and Family Assessment. New York: WW Norton and Company.
4. Roller, B., & V. Nelson. (1991). The Art of Co-Therapy. New York: Guilford.
5. van der Kolk, B. A. (1989). The Compulsion to Repeat the Trauma: Re-enactment, re-victimization, and masochism. Psychiatric Clinics of North America, Volume 12(2), 389-411.