Trauma and Beyond: The Mystery of Transformation

by Ursula Wirtz

Overview

In this seminal work on the clinical, archetypal and spiritual dimension of trauma, the author offers a compelling vision of the transformative potential of suffering and the dialectic of Dying and Becoming. Wirtz outlines a healing path from fragmentation to integration and illuminates the resilience of the human spirit in the face of severe trauma. Trauma and Beyond will be essential reading and a valuable resource for counsellors, therapists and Jungian analysts who are challenged in their practice with individual and collective traumata.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780367858681
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	07/01/2020
Pages:	370
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Ursula Wirtz, PhD, has a doctorate in literature and philosophy from the University of Munich, graduated from the C.G. Jung Institute Zürich and works as a clinical and anthropological psychologist and Jungian psychoanalyst in private practice. She is the author of numerous publications on sexual violence, ethics and the interface of psychotherapy and spirituality. She is a training analyst, supervisor and faculty member of ISAP Zürich.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments xi

Permissions xiii

Sources and Abbreviations xv

Introduction 1

Part I The Spiritual Lens: Dying and Becoming

Part I Opening 11

Chapter 1 Unveiling the Face of Trauma 15

Trauma and the Soul 19

The Numinosity of Trauma 20

Soul Murder 23

Loss of Soul and "Broken Courage" 28

Chapter 2 Trauma as a Spiritual Experience 35

The Spiritual Dimension 36

Spiritual Transformation through Trauma 39

The Unity of the Material and the Spiritual 48

The Healing Power of Spiritual Values 51

Chapter 3 Trauma as a Crisis of Meaning 57

Between Meaning and Meaninglessness 58

Betwixt and Between: Trauma and Liminality 62

The Emergence of Meaning Following Trauma 64

Chapter 4 The Transformative Power of Suffering 75

The Paradigm of Posttraumatic Growth 76

Wounding and Awakening 83

Wound or Wisdom: Paul Celan and Nelly Sachs 87

Chapter 5 Beyond Embitterment 103

Reconciliation and Forgiveness 103

Integrating the Shadow 106

Coming into Being and Passing Away: Etty Hillesum 107

Chapter 6 Trauma through the Mythological Lens 117

Trauma as Descent 117

Kali's Rage: The Fire of Transformation 123

The Ravished Feminine: Medusas Petrifying Gaze 126

Yearning for Death: The Trauma of Betrayal 130

Part II The Clinical Lens

Part II Opening 141

Chapter 7 Retrieving Soul: Echoes of the Red Book in Trauma Therapy 145

Dissociation and Ego-State Therapy 146

Trauma Narratives: Re-creating Identity 153

The Imaginal Realm 157

Working with Mandalas 161

Certainty Lost, Paradox Gained 164

Paradox and Transformation 167

Paradoxical Transference and Countertransference 173

Chapter 8 Circumambulating Complementarity 179

Complementary Modes of Viewing Trauma 180

The Relational Dimension of Complementarity 185

The Complementarity of Being and Doing in Trauma Therapy 187

Presence and Reflection 193

Mentalization 197

Chapter 9 The Crucible of Transformation: The Mercurial Psyche 205

From Chaos to New Order 205

Transfiguration and Healing Transitions 213

The Capacity for Transcendence 224

Chapter 10 Transcendence, Trauma, and Sacrifice 235

From Spiritual Emergency to Spiritual Emergence: Traumatic Roots and Self-Transcendence in the Red Book 238

The Trauma Membrane 254

The Dialectic of Victim and Victimizer 256

Chapter 11 Sacrifice of the Self 265

Transcending Trauma through Sacrifice of the False Self 268

Chapter 12 The Traumatic Dimensions of Sacrifice 287

The Sacrifice Motif in Myths and Fairy Tales 291

The Transcendent Function: Transformation in the Relational Field 294

Chapter 13 Trauma and the Body: Portal to the Source 319

Body and Consciousness 322

The Transformative Power of Chi and Yoga 329

Conclusion 337

Index 342

Editorial Reviews

"Wirtz courageously and brilliantly undertakes the most truculent question: ‘wither the soul after soul-murder?’. She summarizes the literature in the field, the range of methodologies, and provides numerous illustrations and case studies which demonstrate a realistic, hopeful, sequential approach to trauma integrating fragmented splinters. She illustrates the narrow passage between the necessity of ego-death, abiding a most difficult in-between, and attending the birth of an enlarged, more capacious ego state. Trauma and Beyond is not only a key contribution to the field, but has the makings of a classic study of the resilience of the soul in the face of even the most devastating traumata." – James Hollis, PhD; Jungian analyst and author

"In an extraordinary synthesis of the diverse facets of the psyche activated in trauma, Wirtz truly offers the reader a way ‘beyond’ suffering into wisdom. A lifetime of experience is woven into a revelatory tapestry of heart and soul. Reflecting an emerging paradigm in the 21^st century, science and spirituality are brought into kindred relations through the author’s courageous explorations of trauma. Anyone touched by trauma will benefit deeply from an encounter with this book." – Joe Cambray, PhD; past-President, IAAP

"In this insightful work, Wirtz asks us to take Jung’s Red Book as a map or template for working with loss and trauma. If you are looking for guidance in clinical work in trauma and recovery or for guidance in your own recovery, you will find a treasure trove of riches here." – Polly Young-Eisendrath, PhD; author, The Resilient Spirit and Subject to Change

"This profoundly moving book is a major contribution to Jungian studies in this field. Wirtz has a remarkable ability to seamlessly synthesize the spiritual, archetypal, and clinical aspects of trauma. Her wise reflections on the transformative potentials of trauma, and the meaning of the suffering it produces, are an inspiration. This book is required reading for any psychotherapist working in this field." – Lionel Corbett, MD; Pacifica Graduate Institute; author, Psyche and the Sacred and The Religious Function of the Psyche

From the Publisher