64th Annual Conference

Thursday, March 8

Afternoon Workshops

2:45-6:00 P.M.

Workshop 30

Shadows of Disintegration: Fate, Destiny and Fear of Breakdown in Non-Abused Patients

Chair:   

Kathleen Adams, Ph.D., CGP, Private Practice, Austin, Texas

Uncontained distress and failed dependency in childhood can persist as sub-clinical dissociation, vulnerability to disintegration and terror of intimacy. Overwhelming early experience can result from traumatic attachment, invasive medical procedures, or catastrophic events within the family such as death or serious illness of a sib or parent. Vertical splits and omnipotent defenses provide psychic skin to ward off fears of breakdown, but may be mistaken for resistance. Modifications to traditional group technique will be explored, which move beyond conflict analysis to explore self-development and resolution of autistic defenses.

sharing of work experiences, didactic, experiential, demonstration

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:
1. Analyze the survival value of autistic defenses in patients. 
2. Revise one's method of character analysis to incorporate dissociative character/terror of intimacy.
3. Integrate material from interpersonal neurobiology, traumatology, attachment theory, post-Kleinian theory, and group analysis.

Course References:

1. Adams, K. (2006). Falling Forever: The price of chronic shock. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy. in press.
2. Liotti, G. (2004). Trauma, Dissociation and Disorganized Attachment: Three strands of a single braid. Psychotherapy, Theory, Research, Practice and Training. 14(4), 472-486.
3. Mitrani, J. (2001). Ordinary People and Extra-Ordinary Protections. A post-Kleinian approach to the treatment of primitive mental states. Pennsylvania: Taylor and Francis.