par Fossion, Pierre 
;Rejas-Martin, Mari-Carmen ;Pelc, Isy;Linkowski, Paul ;Hirsch, S.
Référence Annales médico-psychologiques, 164, 2, page (115-119)
Publication Publié, 2006-03
;Rejas-Martin, Mari-Carmen ;Pelc, Isy;Linkowski, Paul ;Hirsch, S. Référence Annales médico-psychologiques, 164, 2, page (115-119)
Publication Publié, 2006-03
Article révisé par les pairs
| Résumé : | The clinical concepts developed in the present paper concern the resilience and the trans-generational transmission among families of Holocaust survivors. In physical terms, "resilience" is defined as the ability of a material to regain its shape or original position after having been compressed or stretched. In human sciences, "resilience" is the capacity of certain individuals either to adapt successfully to adversity, or to function in a competent manner when faced with a traumatic situation. The concept of trans-generational transmission of trauma is mentioned by numerous authors in explaining certain types of psychological suffering endured by several generations of the same family, notably among descendants of Holocaust survivors. In some traumatized families, all the energy is used by a mourning process and by strategies of survival. Memory of death is everywhere and memory of life is repressed. To help those families, psychotherapists have to inverse the situation by revealing the memory of life and by limiting the role of the memory of death. We present here several clinical observations that we made during therapy sessions with certain families of Holocaust survivors. These families consulted with us because of the symptoms presented by members of the third generation (the grandchildren of the Holocaust survivors) as adolescents. These symptoms were not specific, and included various categories such as dropping out of school, behavior problems, self-mutilation, eating disorders, drug abuse, depressive or anxiety disorders, and problems with aggression. These families presented some specific patterns in their relationships, which led us to consider that the symptoms presented by the third generation might be a consequence of the family's history and the trans-generational transmission of Holocaust trauma. We also describe here the clinical strategy that we developed to assist these families. This strategy was used in addition to classical individual and linear treatment of the symptoms and consisted of an attempt to reinforce the relationships between Holocaust survivors and their grandchildren with the aim of stimulating a structuring trans-generational transmission. In effect, at the liberation of the camps, certain Holocaust survivors used, as a mechanism of individual resilience, control over their memory and their emotions. In effect, their psychological survival was impossible without making sure that their terrible memories and inexpressible feelings could not occupy their consciousness. In stifling their memories and their history, they created a void in the parenting of their children and their grandchildren. In order to fill this void and to unblock familial memory, we make use of the privileged position occupied by the grandchildren of Holocaust survivors. In effect, Holocaust survivors generally adopt a more flexible attitude toward their grandchildren than toward their children. Therefore, we entrusted them with the task of reconstructing the history of their family before and after the Holocaust through consulting their grandparents, most of all, but also other members of the family, whether it be directly or by courier (eventually electronic, in the case of geographic separation). Our therapeutic approach improves the flexibility, adaptability and communication of the family. Moreover, it improves the bond between Holocaust survivors and their grandchildren and permits the latter, through a better knowledge of their family history, to acquire a trans-generational shadow. © 2005 Elsevier SAS. Tous droits réservés. |
