Introduction

Within the last century, certain traumatic events have essentially altered how many people think about themselves and their world. Each of these catastrophes (e.g., Pearl Harbor, Kennedy’s assassination, Oklahoma City Federal building bombing, World Trade Center, Newtown) shattered what we thought we fundamentally knew, revising the familiar field in which we live. In a moment, these traumas tear the social fabric, rupturing what we essentially believed about the stability and cohesion of our culture, our society, and ourselves. Not all ruptures are as horrific as these are, but each splits experience into what was once spoken and understood and what is now unspeakable and incomprehensible. This book is about the effects of sudden traumatic rupture within the psychoanalytic world in which we live. It is an intimate exploration of psychoanalytic treatments and communities where betrayal and abandonment have left their mark.