ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the catalog of micro-traumas by describing other noteworthy examples. It offers an instance of micro-traumatic relating that is a region-wide pattern rather than something specific to a particular two-person dynamic. Engulfment may be accomplished or enacted through other micro-traumatic attitudes and maneuvers such as affective overdrive, relating via connoisseurship, or unbridled indignation. The chapter discusses emotional blackmail, which is a devious way of influencing the other, while coercion itself is often quite direct. The experience of being strong-armed to do or feel something that is contrary to one's proclivity is inherently invalidating and therefore potentially micro-traumatic to the one being pressured. The chapter also discusses a clinical interchange that shows a mutually hurtful process along with the analytic pair's concerted effort to reverse its effects and learn from the experience. It helps the analytic therapist become more attuned to the kinds of momentary, seemingly minor events that are micro-assaultive to someone's sense of self-worth and well-being.
