Unconscious Remnants of the Traumas of Past Generations

This is a powerful work that extends the psychoanalytic literature on trauma. It does so, not so much by explaining trauma and its effects, but by inviting the reader into lives and worlds that have been shaped by generations of human horror. The central thesis of History Beyond Trauma (see record 2004-13515-000) is that trauma can be transmitted unconsciously across several generations. In pursuit of their goals, Davoine and Gaudillière make use of the theories of Lacan, Freud, Winnicott, Sullivan Wittgenstein, Damasio, and others; the history of warfare from ancient Greece through September 11, 2001; literature, legends, myths, and songs from medieval Europe to native America. History Beyond Trauma's, 282 pages are divided into two parts, Lessons of Madness and Lessons From the Front, with eight chapters between them. Each chapter is further divided into three to seven sections, providing some assistance for reviewing specific topics. Overall, the authors' language is not obscurantist, but it is by no means easy reading. The work of Davoine and Gaudillière assumes some familiarity and comfort with abstract and impressionistic styles. The reader encounters complex sentences with shifting referents that benefit from rereading. History Beyond Trauma is as far from a how-to book as one can find. Still, it will make analysts better, more comfortable, and less hide-bound if they let it. It is aimed at advanced psychoanalysts who have some comfort with existential and phenomenological thought and scholars of the philosophy of trauma who are seeking an accurate representation of the experience of trauma and its treatment. It does not present or advocate for a method or technique. Relying on the reader's familiarity and comfort with nonclassical psychoanalytic work, it focuses instead on expanding psychoanalysts' appreciation of the role of history, global as well as personal, in their work. The case material demonstrates that the analyst's attitude of watchfully allowing his or her unconscious wisdom to sniff out the needed intervention is what is required for this kind of work. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)