ABSTRACT

The first, staying close to the patient’s experience, is in many ways the heart of the work, as it involves emotional responsiveness that is accepting. Being meticulously close also affords a sense of sharing of experience and allows the patient to feel more held and buoyed by the therapist. Another reason that staying close to experience is so important is that trauma patients have often found themselves left doubly alone: not only from the trauma itself, but also because others have so often distanced themselves from their traumas and ensuing troubles, which is isolating and shaming. Yet, staying close to the patient’s experience is also one of the most difficult parts of the work with trauma patients. I will discuss this difficulty in more detail presently as an aspect of the ramifications of countertrauma.