Transgenerational Trauma Course

Lesson 1 • Historical Roots and Key Pioneers

Traces the emergence of transgenerational thinking from Freud through Ferenczi, Abraham, and Torok. Situates the field within the broader evolution of psychoanalytic theory.

Lesson 2 • Core Concepts and Terminology

Defines essential terms including the phantom, crypt, loyalty bonds, and invisible loyalties. Provides a shared vocabulary for all subsequent clinical and theoretical study.

Lesson 3 • Mechanisms of Psychic Transmission

Examines how unprocessed trauma, secrets, and affects pass between generations. Connects transmission mechanisms to observable clinical presentations.

Lesson 1 • Abraham and Torok's Theoretical Framework

Presents the full architecture of the phantom and crypt theory as developed by Abraham and Torok. Grounds students in the primary texts before clinical application.

Lesson 2 • The Role of Family Secrets

Analyzes how concealed family events generate phantom formations in subsequent generations. Demonstrates the clinical weight of silence and shame in transmission.

Lesson 3 • Mourning, Unmourning, and Transmission

Explores how incomplete mourning processes create conditions for transgenerational transmission. Links mourning theory to the formation and dissolution of phantoms.

Lesson 1 • Ivan Boszormenyi-Nagy's Contextual Theory

Introduces relational ethics, invisible loyalties, and the ledger of merits and debts. Provides a systemic complement to intrapsychic transgenerational models.

Lesson 2 • Loyalty Conflicts and Symptom Formation

Demonstrates how unresolved loyalty conflicts generate anxiety, depression, and relational dysfunction. Bridges systemic and intrapsychic perspectives on symptom origin.

Lesson 3 • Mandates, Missions, and Injunctions

Analyzes implicit and explicit mandates transmitted from parents to children. Distinguishes life-affirming missions from pathogenic injunctions.

Lesson 1 • The Genogram as Clinical Instrument

Teaches standard genogram construction including symbols, relationship lines, and notations. Establishes the genogram as the primary mapping tool in transgenerational work.

Lesson 2 • The Genosociogram Technique

Presents Schützenberger's genosociogram as an expanded genealogical tool integrating dates, events, and anniversary reactions. Extends standard genogram analysis.

Lesson 3 • Interpreting Patterns and Repetitions

Trains students to identify recurring dates, illnesses, losses, and relational patterns across the genogram. Translates pattern recognition into clinical hypotheses.

Lesson 4 • Limitations and Ethical Considerations

Addresses the risks of over-interpretation, projection, and genealogical determinism. Ensures responsible and bounded use of genealogical methods.

Lesson 1 • Colonial Trauma and Racial Transmission

Examines how colonialism, slavery, and systemic racism transmit psychic wounds across generations. Integrates postcolonial perspectives into transgenerational theory.

Lesson 2 • Societal Transmission and Cultural Memory

Explores how cultural rituals, narratives, and commemorations mediate or perpetuate collective trauma. Connects cultural memory to individual psychic structure.

Lesson 3 • Historical Trauma and Its Psychic Legacy

Defines historical trauma and examines how war, genocide, and persecution leave multigenerational psychic residues. Grounds collective trauma in individual clinical experience.

Lesson 1 • Assessing Transmission in Children and Adolescents

Adapts transgenerational assessment methods for younger patients. Addresses developmental considerations in identifying transmitted material.

Lesson 2 • Differential Assessment Considerations

Distinguishes transgenerational dynamics from personal trauma, attachment disorders, and personality pathology. Prevents misattribution of symptoms to genealogical causes.

Lesson 3 • Transgenerational Case Formulation

Teaches a structured method for synthesizing multigenerational data into a working clinical formulation. Connects assessment findings to treatment planning.

Lesson 1 • Narrative and Witnessing Techniques

Uses narrative reconstruction and therapeutic witnessing to restore disrupted family histories. Connects narrative approaches to mourning and identity repair.

Lesson 2 • Body-Based and Somatic Approaches

Integrates somatic awareness into transgenerational work to address bodily transmission. Addresses symptoms that resist purely verbal intervention.

Lesson 3 • Working with Family Secrets Therapeutically

Provides strategies for approaching and metabolizing family secrets within the therapeutic frame. Balances revelation with containment and pacing.

Lesson 4 • Naming and Symbolizing the Phantom

Teaches the technique of verbally naming phantom formations to reduce their symptomatic power. Demonstrates how symbolization transforms unconscious haunting into conscious material.

Lesson 1 • Long-Term Treatment Planning

Designs phased treatment plans that sequence transgenerational interventions appropriately. Addresses pacing, regression, and therapeutic milestones.

Lesson 2 • Evaluating Treatment Outcomes

Establishes criteria for assessing progress and outcome in transgenerational treatment. Connects symptom reduction to deeper structural change.

Lesson 3 • Complex Case Conceptualization

Applies the full transgenerational framework to cases involving multiple overlapping transmission vectors. Develops tolerance for clinical complexity and ambiguity.