The problem of uncertainty

This chapter addresses the problems of uncertainty and certainty that we face in our daily lives—personally, professionally, and in our psychoanalytic work. From a general discussion of certainty and uncertainty, it examines the sense of uncertainty experienced through trauma. The chapter discusses the problem of uncertainty in psychoanalytic practice. The sense of uncertainty is a cutting-edge topic in the relational and ethical trends in psychoanalysis. Trauma-centered psychoanalysis based on the ethical trend explores the relationship between trauma and a sense of uncertainty. These thinkers suggest that a sense of uncertainty is deeply connected to such existential trauma as genocide, nuclear bombs, and random killers. Trauma-centered psychoanalysis, which focuses on how traumatized people divide communities, society, and people in order to have a sense of certainty, offers a treatment model in which a patient comes to live with a sense of uncertainty.