This book describes the narratives of child Holocaust survivors and their experiences of complex trauma, complicated bereavement, ageing, resilience and existential loneliness. The work is unique in that it describes the trauma of child Holocaust survivors who were placed in concentration camps. Most children were killed on entry. Child survivors were rare. These survivors went on to build lives with considerable resilience and coping but their trauma remained within for the next 70-75 years. This is a unique view of the impact of catastrophic trauma and grief over a lifespan.
The book is based on the research of Tracey Farber’s PHD research in which she interviewed 9 child Holocaust survivors who were interned in concentration camps. Gill Eagle and Cora Smith were the research supervisors. The authors have added original chapters discussing the relevant research and literature in the field of massive grief, complex trauma and ethics.
The survivors retained vivid recollections of the horror of internment and expressed ongoing grief for the multiple losses they had experienced. Unresolved grief contributed to a sense of existential loneliness, particularly prominent in their late life reflections. Despite indications of resilience and life productivity, a ‘Trauma Trilogy’ of inter-linked catastrophic grief, anger, and survivor guilt contributed to a sense of pain and struggle in negotiating Erikson’s final life task of Integrity versus Despair. By publishing the body of a doctoral thesis in the form of a book the aim was to make the material available to a wide audience. The authors include some practical outcomes that may inform clinical practice, further research, and understanding of the impact of other genocides.
About the Authors:
Tracey Farber worked full time as a clinical psychologist, psychotherapist, supervisor, and trainer in private practice for 24 years in Johannesburg. She specialized in treating traumatized adults, adolescents and children and her work also included also included seeing second generation Holocaust survivors for individual psychotherapy. At present, she works as a clinical psychologist at the Tel Aviv University Psychological Services, Student Success Centre and in private practice in Tel Aviv. She developed a psychoeducational program called “Understanding Trauma and Building Resilience” that was developed from her PhD research. This program has been taught to mental health workers, students, teachers, and parents as well as employees and managers.
Gill Eagle is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of the Witwatersrand. She lectures primarily on the master’s program in Clinical Psychology and is also a core member of the doctoral team overseeing research work. Her research interests lie in the field of psychosocial studies, with a particular focus on traumatic stress and gender and issues. She runs a small private practice, working primarily within a relational psychoanalytic psychotherapy framework.
Cora Smith is Adjunct Professor in the Division of Clinical Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of the Witwatersrand. She also holds a joint appointment post as the Chief Clinical Psychologist at the Child, Adolescent and Family Unit at Johannesburg Hospital. Her interests are in the development of personality pathology through the life cycle with a particular focus on attachment. She has a keen interest in the ethical dilemmas that emerge in clinical practice.
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