We might all agree that we are living in a turbulent world. Directly or indirectly, we are suffering from trauma inflicted upon us as humans, upon all living beings, and upon our planet. Countries shift into dangerous sociopolitical positions in an effort to affirm certainty and irradicate doubt, and we suffer as a result. In Kafka’s Metamorphosis, a traveling salesman wakes up one day to find that he has become a giant, grotesque insect. The central character and his family suffer the traumatic effects of this devastating transformation. Similarly, a country can wake up to find itself transformed into an ugly despotic regime. In all these situations, there is trauma and a felt sense of victimhood. Under these circumstances, what does recovery and healing mean? What shape does it take in our nation(s) and in our consulting rooms?

In this presentation Romero proposes that psychoanalysis offers a response to these challenges by exploring and applying the concept of forgiveness as a psychoanalytic process. Forgiveness is a laborious transformation that can be fostered in the psychoanalytic treatment situation and can be applied in the resolution of sociopolitical conflicts. Romero suggests that this process requires a modification of internal object representations as part of recovery from trauma. He moves forgiveness from a superficial interpersonal gesture to a deeper transformation brought about by the work of forgiveness, analogous to the process of dream work. Romero advocates further research of this concept in psychoanalysis and suggests that it is applicable to treatment with individuals and with larger groups in community contexts. A clinical vignette is offered to facilitate understanding of forgiveness as a psychoanalytic concept.

Learning Objectives

After attending, participants will be able to:
• Understand the difference between the concept of forgiveness as an interpersonal or relational gesture and the psychoanalytic meaning as a laborious intrapsychic process.

• Approach the psychoanalytic phenomenon of forgiveness as a therapeutic tool for healing trauma resulting from aggression suffered by both participants in the analytic relationship.

• Apply the concept of psychoanalytic forgiveness to intersubjective contexts, including group and family relationships and efforts to resolve institutional and international conflicts.

Please note that registration closes on December 16th at 5pm PacTime