ABSTRACT
Psychic trauma represents a blow to the mind—something external invades and transgresses the borders of the mind, and a state of helplessness ensues. This chapter describes some common effects of individual and mass traumatization and outlines some important measures that may be taken. Psychic trauma is caused by experiences that expose the individual to a type of danger that puts the person in a terribly helpless situation. The individual symptoms and problems after traumatization are complex and depend on the seriousness of the trauma, personality factors, earlier trauma, the help received during and after the trauma, and society's attitude towards the victims. In massive traumatizations such as wars and the September 11 attack, whole groups and societies are suffering. From an object-relations perspective, the trauma represents the loss of internal protection related to the internal other—primarily, the necessary feelings of basic trust and mastery.
