Inspired by and paraphrasing the titles of Hedda Bolger’s conference (“The Uprooted Mind: Psychoanalytic Perspectives on Living in an Unsafe World)” and her lecture during that event (“Dogma and Flexibility in Psychoanalytic Technique”), I explore the complexities of Involuntary Dislocation beyond the predominant ‘dogma’ or ‘trauma discourse’. My central argument is that the complexities of the lived realities of involuntary dislocation are not perceptible through the lenses of the predominant paradigms that emphasise either ‘trauma’ or ‘strengths’. Instead, what is required is a sharper epistemological scrutiny to enable the discernment of the wide spectrum of consequences of being exposed to adversity, which include not only ‘trauma’ but also resilience as well as phenomena of ‘Adversity-Activated Development’. Attention is also given to various forms of victimization and inadvertently emerge in this type of work.
Learning Objectives
Following this presentation, participants will be able to:
- Appreciate the importance of epistemological scrutiny in perceiving and processing the wide spectrum of involuntary dislocation experiences
- Differentiate between the various forms of victimisation engendered in working with involuntarily dislocated people.
This is an All Level Presentation