Countertransference in Trauma Clinic: A Transitional Breach in the Therapists’ Identity

In line with the theoretical elaboration of countertransference in the trauma clinic, this article addresses the therapist’s relationship to the strangeness of the trauma, as well as his/her interaction with the cultural difference of the other, who is in this case, the traumatized patient. Thirty-one therapists were interviewed about their subjective experiences, using the methodology of interpretative phenomenological analysis. This article shows interesting subtleties in countertransference reactions to trauma narratives and sheds light on processes indicative of trauma transmission. Therapists interviewed could express experiencing moments of strangeness and inner disquiet; resonance in the defense mechanisms deployed by therapists and by patients at certain moments of the therapy; resorting to disregarding cultural interpretations/generalizations to make sense of an utterly painful situation and put a protective distance with the patients’ culture of origin

Changement de langue à l'adolescence (étude d'une population de jeunes Libanais bilingues)

Par une méthode complémentariste alliant les théories sociolinguistique, psychosociale, psychodynamique et psychanalytique, nous tentons une approche compréhensive de cet objet complexe.Ce travail problématise l intrication du processus de séparation psychique nécessaire à l adolescence avec le phénomène social des différents usages du bilinguisme par les jeunes.1-Un questionnaire est proposé à 294 sujets Libanais, constituant la population de notre enquête exploratoire. Il valide l existence de ce phénomène et saisit certaines de ses caractéristiques.2-Six entretiens approfondis permettent une approche qualitative de notre objet, recoupant les questions de langues et de langage avec celles de relations familiales, d émotions, de conflits, de puberté et révèlent la place de la langue en tant que marqueur identitaire. 3-Une analyse transversale de 15 entretiens montre la place du changement de langue dans la stratégie discursive des bilingues. Apparaissent les fonctions du code switch psychoaffectives, interindividuelles et intrapsychiques.4-Une situation clinique montre l importance de l écoute des émergences du changement de langue en tant qu indicateur de transformations sous-jacentes à l adolescence.We study a complex object: the language switching in adolescence, using a complementary approach allying sociolinguistic, psychoanalytical and ethno-psychoanalytical theories. This study links the necessary psychological separation with the social uses of bilingualism. 1- A questionnaire is proposed to 294 Lebanese students in a French speaking school who constitute the population of our study. It validates the existence of this phenomenon and describes its characteristics. 2-A second phase of the study is constituted by research interviews and establish a relation between the quality of the language and the family, the emotions, the conflicts, the puberty; they prove language to be an identity marker. We develop six of them in a longitudinal approach. 3-A transversal analysis of the others reveals the place of code switching in the discursive strategy of the bilinguals and the forms that they give to their mixing. The psycho-affective interactive aims and psychological functions appears (language as a pare-exciter, a defence, a skin, a transitional apparatus).4-A clinical approach shows that listening to code switching in a bilingual therapy gives important indications of what s going beneath.PARIS13-BU Droit-Lettres (930792101) / SudocSudocFranceF

L’accueil de patients traumatisés : la langue maternelle, un levier thérapeutique médiatisant ?

International audienceThis article discusses how the mother tongue is part of a person’s identity construction and creates the feeling of belonging to a group. In trauma therapy, the use of the mother tongue, where trauma is shared, helps the patient to express his/her emotions in a differentiated mode because of the sense of belonging. This contributes to facilitating access to emotional expression for the patients. The presence of an interpreter creates a safe and familiar environment that is representative of their common cultural background. The use of the mother tongue and an interpreter serve as therapeutic levers, mediating between the patient and his/her trauma, but listening to such stories impels both the therapist and the interpreter towards a high level of emotions, which can develop into secondary traumas that they must be helped to cope with.Les auteures montrent en quoi la langue maternelle s’inscrit dans la construction identitaire et donne le sentiment d’appartenir à un groupe. Dans l’accueil de patients traumatisés, l’usage de la langue maternelle, lieu de transmission de trauma, permet au patient d’extérioriser les émotions de manière différenciée, du fait du sentiment d’affiliation qui permet le partage des théories étiologiques et des implicites culturels. Les interprètes contribuent à cet environnement sécurisant en assurant la fonction d’informateur culturel. La langue maternelle et le recours aux interprètes agissent donc comme des leviers thérapeutiques, médiatisant le rapport du patient avec son trauma mais laissant le traducteur et le clinicien face à un trop-plein, un potentiel traumatisme vicariant qu’il faut les aider à gérer

Case Report: When Does Puberty Become Traumatic?

International audiencePuberty provokes physiological upheaval that can be psychologically traumatic and destabilizing for the child. Before the transformations of puberty, the body is a protective vessel that acts as a stable reference for the child. A child's emotional security is derived from a sense of predictability and well-being. However, the nascent sexuality and burgeoning libido experienced during puberty can trigger unsettling changes in the psycho-affective and psycho-dynamic equilibrium of the child as he or she transforms into an adolescent. This article presents puberty as a transformative experience with traumatic impact that needs to be considered in therapy conducted with adolescents. At best, pubescent trauma can cause superficial issues in a child's adaptive abilities; at worse, it can lead to pathological symptoms. This article presents a qualitative study derived from a clinical case of an adolescent girl who expresses her pubescent suffering through social withdrawal and mutism. The study determines several symptomatic and traumatic indicators caused by the sudden physiological transformations of puberty, such as perceived breaches in a child's sense of safety and the child's ability to predict. The study also explores the feelings of helplessness, vulnerability, and aloneness that pubescent adolescents endure, which are then exacerbated by the sensed inability to turn to parents for help or peers for support

Vulnérabilité psychique des équipes, expérience libanaise auprès des déplacés syriens

International audienceIn the context of the humanitarian crisis of Syrian refugees in Lebanon, a team of young Lebanese social workers attempted to identify the most economically vulnerable people. These professionals have themselves sometimes been exposed to social and economic difficulties, having in their own past experienced war and deprivation. They were confronted with experiences of war, poverty, inter-community conflicts, the recollection of their own family trauma or guilt. Support in the form of psychological care was provided to them

Working through multiple crises: the experience of psychotherapists and psychoanalysts in Lebanon

International audienceIntroduction This research explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on psychotherapists' practices and their ability to maintain a framework despite a shared reality with their patients. The specific focus in this article is on the Lebanese context, which is characterized by a series of crises including economic collapse, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Beirut blast. The objective of this study was to examine how the destabilization of the meta-frame due to crises necessitates adaptations in theoretical knowledge, practice, and setting. Methods We conducted a qualitative study among a population consisting of mental health professionals, which were recruited in Lebanon through associations and societies of psychologists, psychotherapists, and psychoanalysts. Data was collected using semi-structured individual interviews. The interviews were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), which allowed for a dynamic exploration of the participants' experiences. Results Our study revealed four superordinate themes: (1) The strained frontiers; (2) The cumulative traumatic reality and its impact; (3) A challenged professional identity; (4) The creativity stemming from collective trauma. Conclusions Our results highlight the insecurity caused by external reality infiltrating the therapeutic setting. Online therapy allowed for continued work, but uncertainty about the online environment's impact on therapeutic relationships was observed. The study underscores the importance of adaptability, containment, and support for therapists navigating crises, particularly in the online setting