ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the relationship of the Holocaust survivor mother and her daughter. It is to be hoped that both the mother's and the daughter's psychotherapy will lead to the emotional closeness that they both need, and in addition will bring the intergenerational mourning process to a successful resolution. The purpose of psychotherapy for the mother is to help her mourn her losses and to meet her daughter as a separate, independent figure, differentiated from past figures. The purpose of therapy for the daughter is to help her define her unique personal identity, and as such to detach herself from her mother and meet her anew. In his article "The dead mother" A. Green writes about mothers who are depressed because they have lost someone dear to them. The cause of the mother's depression is not known to the child, but the child experiences loss despite the fact that the mother is physically present.
