Report: The 4th GASi summer school, Ljubljana, “Between Generations.” July 2018

Sigmund Freud wrote in Totum and Taboo, “…we may safely assume that no generation is able to conceal any of its more important mental processes from its successor” (S. Freud, 1913, p. 159, in Fonagy, 1999, p. 92).

Haydee Faimberg went beyond recognising concealed mental processes, noted in the above quotation, to describing the transgenerational transmission of trauma described below by a number of authors, only some mentioned due to limited space.

Faimberg described “telescoping of generations” as a universal phenomenon, namely the revelation of unconscious alienating identifications in which the history of three generations is condensed, that can be found in all analyses. This kind of condensed history could be described as “the history of the transference of a narcissistic parent who does not allow the child to have his own psychic space” (Bonomi, 2006, p. 62).

Taking on the severe traumatic burden of the parents is thought to be not only an identification with the person of the mother or father, but with the history of the parents before the children’s birth. This form of identification is called “transposition” (Kestenberg) or “telescoping” (Faimberg). These are total identifications, which are often projected onto the child by the parents. They cannot be assimilated by the child and play a role in causing a “false self” to develop in the child. “The origin of these identifications develops by direct empathy with the unconscious or denied part of a parental object. Children then live in a double reality, both in the past of the parents as well as in their own time, and they develop a feeling of fragmented identity”. (Gerlach, 2011,  p. 197; Fonagy, 1999, p. 93).

The Summer School in Ljubljana started with a dialogue in search of the meaning of “Between Generations.” Can we really consider this concept to have any meaning at all?

The very first evening was different from we’ve come to expect. The usual lecture of expertise given by an experienced group analyst defining the topic and giving some direction to the material to be explored was replaced by a dialogue. In this dialogue a senior group analyst asked a group analyst in training for advice, who in turn wondered what help to offer. This dynamic challenged the hierarchy of authority and wisdom we have grown used to.

The generations then attempted to relate to one another in a new way. While the older generation was able to get in touch with the fear of the loss of power and control, the younger generation was able to view the older generation as less authoritarian and more parental. The need for the older generation to give space to the new generation and to accept new ways of being, which can be frightening and painful, was explored.

Being of a certain generation may give a sense of belonging. A person may have the fantasy that another person of the same generation might be able to understand them. The idea of a generation is potentially a rich source of projection and prejudice. It could be said that some rivalry between previous and new generations developed during the Summer School, in a way similar to rivalry between parents and children, and this was analysed.

So, what is meant by generations in group analysis? Could it be a relationship between two groups of people with an age difference of two or more decades? Could those who were trained by Foulkes be the first generation and those trained by Foulkes trainees the next generation? There seems to be a risk in losing sight of the individuals that represent nodal points in the matrix of group analysis.

Without nodal points there can’t be a matrix and we are interconnected in the matrix, which makes it impossible to belong to a single generation.

The term or idea of “generation” lends itself as a tool to stop dialogue and to silence the individual. Sexual orientation was a powerful theme in the stimulating and active large groups. A view was expressed that the older generation could neither understand nor empathise with the feelings of a younger gay person in the present day and age. This could be seen as an example of stopping dialogue. However, it was possible to talk openly about the pain caused by prejudices that still exist.

The large group experience in the Summer School was very stimulating and interactive. There were about 70 members in the large groups. This size large group felt much more interactive than the very large groups at GASi Symposiums.

Aside from these exciting large groups, there were lectures, small groups, supervision groups and discussion groups offered every day. Supervision groups have been a constant aspect of the Summer School and give the opportunity to cross pollinate knowledge and experience of Group Analysis as practiced in different countries and cultures.

There is the question of whether we’re losing sight of the individual in group analysis. Patients seek therapy in order to find relief from states of distress and in the hope of achieving a more satisfying life despite all the traumatic experiences that living entails. Yet, in the group analytic community there are very few presentations of individual patients, their reasons for seeking help and the outcomes. We’re not talking about research papers, but clinical experience, i.e. what the patient wanted help with, the treatment path followed and the outcomes.

Could the idea of “between generations” be seen as an attempt to challenge the power dynamics that exist in every relationship? Merely used as a political tool?

References

Bonomi, C. (2006) Book review of Haydee Faimberg: The telescoping of Generations: Listening to the Narcissistic Links between Generations, London and New York, Routledge, 2005.

Journal: International Forum of Psychoanalysis, Volume 15, Issue 1, 2006. p 62 – 64.

Fonagy, P. (1999) The transgenerational transmission of Holocaust trauma, Attachment & Human Development, 1 : 1, 92-114, DOI: 10.1080/14616739900134041

Gerlach, A. (2011) The Transgenerational Impact of Collective Trauma – a Psychotherapeutic View, Topique 4 (n° 117), p. 197-204. DOI 10.3917/top.117.0197

Ulla Hausler (Munich)
Vivian de Villiers (London)