War and Peace: Psychotherapy With a Holocaust Survivor

摘要

More than 60 years after the end of World War II, it remains difficult to fathom the experiences of Holocaust victims. Atrocities and dehumanizing conditions, loss of bodily integrity and lives, families broken apart, destruction, and death were common occurrences. Survivors were few, enclosing within their hearts endless pain and suffering. Their experiences altered their view of the world, themselves, and others. Here I present a case of brief psychodynamic psychotherapy with a patient with major depression and posttraumatic stress disorder. Exploration of early trauma during the Holocaust linked to current stressors took center stage. The transference and countertransference that developed informed the treatment, while a subtle relationship unfolded between patient and therapist.