ABSTRACT
The concept of unconscious fantasy was constructed to solve a clinical problem. Freud believed that mental illness was caused by infantile trauma, particularly the trauma of seduction by a parent or parent surrogate until 1897. Traumatic deprivation and loss leaves people with a sense of loss, sadness, and a need for repair. The intense need for reparations and for apology is passed down through the generations. Loewenberg explained the complexity of trauma this way: Freud definitively rejected the linear causation of simple developmental time with his concept of Nachträglichkeit. One implication for therapy is that shame and guilt need to be named and explored in order to be sufficiently mastered to allow the person who has experienced trauma to create the kind of fantasy that supports adaptation and promotes self-esteem. Thinking of unconscious fantasy derived from infantile trauma rather than instinct or drive as the motivation for both libidinal and aggressive behavior, verbalization and thoughts privileges the individual experience.
