Seminar Series: Intergenerational and Historical Trauma – Irit Felsen, Ph.D.
A special note from the Seminar Series Co-Chairs
The next two presentations in the Seminar Series are related yet distinct. Both presenters address trauma experienced by and carried within a large group. First up we have Dr. Reem Abu Hweji. And be on the lookout for the announcement for Dr. Irit Felsen who will present on February 1st on The Transmission of Intergenerational, Collective Historical Trauma and its effects.
These two separate seminars offer us opportunities to move beyond the binary of politics and engage with the collective trauma—exploring how we, as clinicians, can address and work with it from a collective perspective.
Like many mental health organizations, EGPS has at times struggled to engage with issues that evoke strong collective emotions and historical pain. Yet, we now have an opportunity to hear from two highly respected scholars whose work is informed by both lived experience and rigorous research. We believe that thoughtful engagement can foster understanding and healing where silence cannot.
We invite you to attend and participate in these seminars with openness and curiosity, and to consider a perspective that may be different from your own. Join us to engage with an open heart and to discover empathy for a perspective that may differ from your own.
Sincerely,
Jacqueline & Nardia
Description: This presentation will focus on transmission of intergenerational, collective historical trauma.
The professions of mental health have not readily accepted the validity of the concept of historical trauma, which has finally been acknowledged in recent years. The main findings from empirical research and clinical literature about survivors of the Holocaust and their families will be presented. This body of clinical and empirical literature over the life span of Holocaust survivors and their children, who are now entering their own old age, opened the gates to studies in other trauma-exposed populations. The multigenerational transmission of historical trauma has by now been observed in descendants of survivors in multiple groups in the USA and across the globe, including the descendants of Black slaves and indigenous peoples in the Americas, in Australia and New Zealand, descendants of Japanese interned in the USA during WWII, and descendants of groups exposed to more recent wars. Historical and intergenerational trauma shape psychological vulnerabilities, resilience, and responses to current challenges in the life of offspring of trauma survivors This presentation will describe the mechanisms by which transmission takes place and its relevance in responses to current day reminders of the trauma.
Potential risks for loss of empathy inherent in the confrontation of trauma therapists with stories of brutality and sadism presented by their patients will be also discussed, as well as specific countertransference responses that might occur in the encounter between therapist and client who are embedded in diverse cultural identities.
Presenter Bio: Irit Felsen, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist born in Israel and living in NY. Dr. Felsen’s practice is in NJ, where she works with both individuals and couples. She specializes in the treatment of trauma, traumatic loss, intergenerational transmission of trauma, and bi-cultural families. Her clinical work has focused on Holocaust Survivors and their descendants, and her research on intergenerational transmission has been published in peer-reviewed journals and multiple book chapters. She was an Assistant Professor at Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, Yeshiva University, for 14 years and is an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University. She is Chair of the Trauma Work Group at the NGO Committee on Mental Health in Consultative Relationship to the United Nations, and she was Chair of the Vibrant Older Adults Work Group within the Covid-19 APA Interdisciplinary Task Force.
If you have any questions or concerns, contact the Seminar Series Co-Chairs, Nardia Brooks and Jacqueline Ambrosini.
Presenter Bio: Dr. Reem Abu Hweij is a clinical psychologist and academic based in Jerusalem. She runs a private practice and teaches at AlQuds University and Dar Al-Kalima University. Her work integrates psychoanalysis, Islamic psychology, and decolonial thought, focusing on trauma, liberation, and collective meaning-making. Dr. Abu Hweij’s recent essays include “The Colonizer Within: Exploring Facets of Internalized Oppression in Palestine” and “Besiege Your Siege with Madness: Transcendence and Liberation.” She regularly consults with humanitarian agencies and conducts supervision programs for psychosocial teams in Palestine.
