The phenomenon of trauma Every person in life encounters psychological trauma, when the emotional intensity of the experienced event does not allow the psyche to withstand the blow of fate. Most often, psychological trauma occurs in early childhood, when the psyche is not yet formed and a minor event, sometimes even fantasy, is enough to traumatize it. As a result, time seems to stop, and the child gets stuck in a state of childish omnipotence. Moreover, if a child is surrounded by a favorable environment, then he is most often able to process the trauma over time, without negative consequences for effective functioning. The main emotions that haunt the traumatized psyche are fear, anger, grief, horror, guilt, shame. A person ceases to understand himself, everything is confused for him, he does not know where is mine and where is not, it is difficult for him to distinguish truth from lies, it is difficult for him to make a decision, it is difficult for him to react correctly in certain situations. If he makes a choice, it almost always turns out to be wrong. It is difficult for the injured to take; to take for them means to be used. The personality loses spontaneity, cannot live life to the fullest, creatively, creatively. Trauma can also be expressed in somatization, that is, in a symptom in the body. With trauma, a certain self-preservation system, similar to the immune system, is most often activated. This system actively attacks objects that it recognizes as dangerous. Any situation where a person would feel vulnerable is considered a threat and will be attacked or avoided. Also, this system can turn into an autoimmune disease, when one’s own is mistaken for someone else’s, then the inner world of traumatized people is filled with fears and self-destruction. We can say that this system takes on the function of the Ego and begins to regulate the relationship between the internal and external world. All this leads to the fact that a person does not establish deep relationships with reality, and is increasingly immersed in the world of his own fantasies. Instead of real self-esteem based on achievements in the external world, the Ego feeds on fantasies of omnipotence, a sense of internal superiority that appears to justify doing nothing. Such a system of self-preservation is needed so that the traumatized part of the psyche is saved, being in some sacred place of the soul, which stops development, but preserves the psyche. The self-preservation system arises from the fact that normally the usual protective mechanisms of the psyche operate, but in the event of injury, the usual defenses are not enough. Deep levels of protection are activated in order to prevent this unthinkable event from becoming part of our identity. Such defenses include: splitting, projective identification, dissociation, multiple personality, trance states. The traumatized part of the psyche is repressed or denied, or the person remembers the traumatic event, but does not experience emotions about it, since with full and sharp awareness of the trauma, the psyche can can't stand it and fall apart completely. Flashes of memories or surging emotions may occur from time to time. At the same time, it is difficult for a person to coherently tell what happened to him and live through it. A lot of energy is blocked by trauma, as a result, life stops, and all resources are used for survival. The main defense in trauma is dissociation, which can lead to dissociative disorder, when the connections between behavior, emotions, bodily sensations and knowledge are disrupted. Emotions are separated from events, meanings from actions, etc. Dissociative defense hides the real world from a person so that he does not get hurt by it again and does not allow the psyche to come together so as not to experience the pain of trauma again. The source of dissociation is primary aggression coming from the “dark” side of the psyche, which arose in response to a traumatic event and created the injury. Normally, this aggression comes from the “light” side and serves for adaptation and effective functioning of the individual. This aggression can spill outward if a person identifies himself with the aggressor, or it canturn inward if there was no object of the aggressor, or the child was still too small. That is, the aggressive energies necessary for adaptation do not find external expression and take the form of life-eating self-criticism. The process of dissociation (separation) and symbolization (connection) form a pair that ensures the dynamics of the psyche. These opposites characterize the processes of self-regulation of the psyche in order to achieve balance. Without separation and connection, integration is impossible, leading to the formation of larger and more complex structures. But in a traumatized psyche, the processes of separation and connection are disrupted. Trauma makes symbolization impossible. The Inner World of Trauma The self-preservation system is most active at the transitional boundary between the psyche and external reality, which can be compared to a gate that needs protection. Therefore, in the internal symbolic world of images, the Ego is captured by a figure who, on the one hand, is a persecutor, and on the other, a savior. You can call this figure a pursuer-defender. This figure forces a person to move away from life in reality, preferring fantasy to it. And this fantasy represents the basic connection with reality. Fantasy is a protective function of the imagination, divorced from reality, while the imagination itself is in captivity of the unconscious, underground world. The persecutory part of this figure attacks external connections, sometimes internal ones. Often tries to devalue someone who wants to build contact. It can manifest itself in acts of self-directed aggression if this figure is dissatisfied with the person’s actions. The protective part produces exalting fantasies, which leads to a weakening of the ability to interact with reality. And the more the connection with reality weakens, the more the inner world becomes haunting. Life loses its brightness, anxiety grows, the world begins to seem dead. Self-realization and independence require aggression for embodiment, and if aggression is absent in the Ego, then a collision occurs with aggression coming from the deep level of the unconscious. The persecutor-defender is the personification of primitive, aggressive energies of the psyche directed at the Ego. This demon guards the border and prevents both attempts to enter into life and the penetration of life from the outside. And everything becomes sterile, barren. As long as the isolation of the world remains under the supervision of the diabolical figure of the self-preservation system, everything is fine, except for the state of melancholy. But at the first sign of hope or desire for peace, it attacks and pursues the personality of the owner. Often the figure of the pursuer-protector can be observed in nightmares. Where she attacks a person, or his projections, for example: an unfamiliar child, a homeless person, a woman, a man, an animal, etc., with the goal of injuring, kidnapping, dismembering, killing, etc. Usually this figure has weapons - a gun, a knife, an ax, etc. With trauma, the Ego is split into progressive (adaptive) and regressive (archetypal) parts. In this regard, the figure of the pursuer-protector, on the one hand, seems to be trying to isolate, encapsulate the regressed part of the ego, and on the other hand, she seems to take care of it like a mother, plunging it into a state of oblivion. If this “child”, that is, the regressive part behaves badly, then he deserves punishment, if he is good, then he receives protection from our figure. The regressive part of the Ego is often represented in dreams, fairy tales and myths in the form of: a defenseless child, an orphan, a disabled person, a girl, a homeless or injured animal, etc. This part can be in captivity, in a dungeon, in an attic, in a tower, in a glass ball, or buried in the ground. She is often asleep, in an altered state of consciousness, bewitched, deprived of feelings, autistic, etc. The refuge space in which this part is located may resemble the twilight zone, the underground world, permafrost, a desert where nothing grows, there are no bodies of water; purgatory, in which a piece of the Ego endures not strongsuffering, is in limbo, constantly waiting for something. The refuge in which the traumatized spirit hides is filled with mythical and archetypal objects that have their own healing properties and effectiveness. This fantasy world provides access for the traumatized psyche to the cultural, collective layer of the unconscious, its secrets, which are not so easily accessible to well-adapted people. But this defense in the form of a desire for infantile omnipotence makes traumatized people “flooded” by the unconscious, too self-sufficient, stubborn and inaccessible. In people captured by this network of malignant regression, need and self-sufficiency, powerlessness and omnipotence, a “divine, royal person” and a “little child” are combined. Good examples illustrating the inner world of trauma are, for example, the fairy tales of Rapunzel, Bluebeard, Sleeping Beauty, The Snow Queen or the myths about Cupid and Psyche, Demeter and Persephone, Orpheus and Eurydice, the Fisher King, etc. For example, in the legend of the King - the fisherman we see an image of the inner world of trauma in the form of a devastated land surrounding the castle of the holy grail, this devastation occurs after the mysterious wounding of the Fisher King. The king experiences the torment caused by the wound; he cannot live as before, within the framework of his usual way of life. The situation is resolved when the knight Parsifal asks the king the right question - “Who does the Grail serve?” This issue connects the two worlds, and the king is allowed to die, and the waters flow again into the devastated land, which blooms again. In the fairy tale of Rapunzel, the witch plays the role of protection from the outside world and people who could harm Rapunzel and traumatize her again. She imprisons Rapunzel in a tower, where she is forced to exist like a plant. Even her name Rapunzel comes from the name of the field lettuce, which hints at the meaning of the fairy tale. Witches, in turn, are associated with mental numbness, loss of sensitivity to pain. They can symbolize the ability of the psyche to anesthetize itself, dissociate, inhibit or hypnotize the Ego from within. The Witch attacks the emergence of any desire or hope. In the inner world of traumatized people, the voice of such a “witch” often whispers: “You won’t succeed,” “You don’t need this,” “Leave it for later,” “There’s nothing to do there,” etc. And if a person nevertheless makes an attempt to actively interact with the world, and fails, humiliates or rejects, then she says inside: “it was a stupid idea, I warned you.” Her rationalizations destroy self-confidence and force a person to abandon his needs . If, for example, he wants to start a family, then she immediately comes up with the idea, just look at the divorce rate. If you want to make a career, then the witch says - you will have to give up your principles and bend to the system; or simply constantly inspires that the real world has gone crazy and rotten, so you shouldn’t put your soul into it. This witch, as a figure of the self-preservation system, is also a comforter. However, her consolations are always sad and dramatic, and in fact, are deception. At the level of feelings and ideas, this can be expressed like this: “no one loves you, no one sees your beautiful soul. It’s good that you have me, we found each other in this cruel world. Only I understand you, and you are never with me.” You'll be lonely." This self-soothing brings temporary relief, but gradually loses its power. Pure fantasy in the fairy tale about Rapunzel is symbolized by a ladder made of her hair and the witch, combing her hair, can be said to stimulate this fantasy. But sooner or later fantasy must be replaced by more realistic means. Reality comes in little by little, slowly and gradually, week after week. In the fairy tale, this is symbolized by the Prince's nightly visits to Rapunzel, during which he brings her pieces of cloth. Then a more realistic connection begins to be woven with the magical level. Often in life this may correspond to the occurrencetrust in people and the emergence of hope for an end to suffering and the establishment of a connection between the inner and real world. When fantasy ceases to dominate reality, it ends in a crisis, depression, grief, resentment for a life not lived before. In the fairy tale, this is expressed by the fact that the witch, having learned about the prince, cuts off Rapunzel’s hair and drives her out into the forest. She throws the prince out of the tower window into the thorny bushes, because of which he goes blind and is forced to wander through the forest for years in search of Rapunzel. It turns out that Rapunzel is losing her reliance on fantasy, not yet having a strong connection with reality. Living in the forest, Rapunzel gives birth to twins, which symbolizes a significant stage on the path to mental integrity. As a result, the crisis ends with a reunion, the Prince hears Rapunzel singing and finds her. Rapunzel's tears falling on the Prince's eyes relieve him of his blindness, which demonstrates the great healing power of grief. Then, together with their children, they return to the kingdom, where they live a happy life. Accordingly, in the end we see how the integrity split by trauma is restored. Healing trauma If in psychotherapy there is an approach to trauma, then the therapist may experience the feeling that this cannot be, or that what the person felt may terrify him, break him, twist him, etc. If he feels “either it happened or it didn’t happen,” then this is denial, perhaps of parents in the past. Dissociation can manifest itself in switches, like he is the same, but different, the voice may change. Trauma can manifest itself in unrealistic fantasies and anxious expectations that are perceived by a person as normal. Patients with trauma try to take care of the therapist, see if he will stand it, if he can be trusted, if he will not abandon him. Such patients usually have shaky boundaries of the Ego, they run from the pain and humiliation that inevitably accompany human life, with its limitations, bound by time, mortality, certainty and embodiment. If trauma is revealed during psychotherapy, then work with the initial request stops and work begins exclusively with trauma, healing is not possible until the wound is thoroughly cleaned. Psychotherapy for trauma is usually very difficult for both the patient and the therapist. As if some force is resisting change, backsliding can often occur. When a traumatic experience or the emotions associated with it are first recognized, a rapid increase in energy and improvement in functioning usually does not occur. It often happens the other way around, the patient plunges into numbness, his inner world is split, there may be bodily reactions, substance abuse. These primitive defenses resist the integration of trauma and related affects. Before the patient can abandon the self-preservation system that ensures survival, his Ego, rooted in reality, must be strengthened. This is helped, among other things, by the therapist’s belief in the complexity of life, unlike the patient’s. And also in the course of psychotherapy we are dealing with deep-seated aggression, therefore the Ego must be well protected, it must hide, it should not show its defenselessness until the aggression is transformed. Aggression and other strong affects coming from the deep layers of the psyche undergo transformation only when the Ego is able to withstand the tension between reality and imagination. To heal, the patient's ego must come to terms with the internal conflict. First there is a struggle with the unknown, then recognition of one’s capabilities and finally giving up the fight. But this should not be a premature and passive acceptance. The patient must learn to withstand strong conflicting affect, he must experience love and hatred for one person and be able to accept such feelings in relation to himself. We can say that a person needs to embrace the “monster”, which means accepting all the aggressive and sexual energies that remain unrealized. When working with traumatized patients, it is better to use softer techniques than interpretation andreconstruction. More attention needs to be paid to creating a safe physical space and interpersonal atmosphere in which dream and fantasy material can emerge and be worked through in a more open playful manner. For example, art therapy techniques are very suitable for working with trauma. But the point is not to react to the trauma, but to reorganize the psyche. If you just react, there may be a rollback. In psychotherapy, the figure of the pursuer-protector often appears in dreams. It interferes with the healing process, dissociates the psyche, especially when a traumatic childhood experience or something similar begins to break through into consciousness. Usually nightmares begin to appear when the relationship with the therapist develops and something begins to change. Dreams show the path along which energy moves, what dynamics occur in complexes. What interactions are taking place, who is with whom or what is in conflict with what, at what stage is the figure of the pursuer-defender, does it come into contact with the analyst, how does the Ego show itself. It is important for a psychotherapist to work with dream symbols, to give the patient the opportunity, with the help of active imagination, to be these symbols, and into the resulting symbolic space for the therapist to introduce his own symbols and images that are born in his unconscious. When the patient begins to overcome the trauma, it becomes easier for him to trust, to take support, and dreams begin to indicate that symbolization (connection) is working and the process is moving. When working with psychological defenses, you need to treat them with gratitude, since in their minds they do everything right, hiding a piece of the soul. Grieving with gratitude and compassion is relaxing, transformative and healing. The traumatized psyche has remained at an archaic level, there are many both ideal and negative expectations from partners in life, including from a psychotherapist. These expectations pass along with grief. After a series of charms and disappointments, a transition into human relationships occurs, first of all this concerns the figure of the therapist. The process of trauma psychotherapy should resemble the mother-child relationship between therapist and patient, since it is this relationship that plays an important role in the formation of the psyche. The therapeutic relationship can become a transitional space where it is necessary to carefully approach the trauma and push the process forward. These relationships should become the foundation for the use of other methods in this space: metaphors, fairy tales, etc. In this transitional space between the external and the internal live myths that help restore and transform the psyche. In psychotherapy, every moment is both an external and an internal event. This can be thought of as the metaphor of “one eye is open and the other is closed.” Such relationships will re-open both external and internal space. Both the patient and the therapist must endure these spaces of dissociative states, facing emotional storms together and processing them until there is a restoration between emotions and images, between past and present, between the inner child and the caring figure belonging to the system self-preservation. Then the patient’s feeling of omnipotence will pass and the stopped time should start again. Inner and outer space will be able to open again, and deep defenses will release us into human, animated life. Trauma is healed by transformative relationships, healing comes through awakened symbols in the patient's psyche. The transformation field is created due to the fact that the psychotherapist himself is the bearer of this cultural material. Metaphors, myths, with a containing story that has a greater context than the context of the situation that is being experienced. Transformation begins when an impulse occurs to connect the opposite sides of the deep psyche. The transition from illusions to real relationships brings out the traumatized".