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 (details below). 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
Location: Virtually on Zoom
Description: Amid genocide and protracted colonial trauma, what psychic processes enable a people not only to survive but to imagine anew? Drawing from her essay “Besiege Your Siege with Madness” (forthcoming in Psychoanalysis, Culture & Society), Dr. Reem Abu Hweij examines the Palestinian collective psyche as a site of world-making and spiritual revolt. She introduces the concept of liberation madness—a psycho-spiritual rupture through which the oppressed transcend the colonizer’s “Dominant Reason” and reclaim meaning, love, and collective purpose.
Through a dialogue between decolonial psychoanalysis, liberation theology, and clinical observation, the seminar explores how trauma, when shared and survived, becomes a crucible for moral clarity and communal becoming. Participants are invited to reflect on the therapeutic, political, and existential implications of collective transcendence in times of annihilation.
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.
If you have any questions or concerns, contact the Seminar Series Co-Chairs, Nardia Brooks and Jacqueline Ambrosini.
Click here to register!
