Trauma treatment and the Mother-world

[M Winther]

"To treat trauma by abiding in a carefree Mother-world"

Freud focused on the repetitive self-destructive tendencies,
especially in those patients with a traumatic history. My argument is
that self-laceration, e.g., in the form of girls cutting themselves,
has a temporary therapeutic effect and revitalizes consciousness, as
it wards off childhood unconscious wholeness (i.e., none other than
the Mother archetype), which is always proximate to the immature ego
or the traumatized ego (see my article on the "blood-sacrifice").

This self-destructive tendency must be repeated or it must be
definitive (i.e. suicidal). Traumatized American soldiers often resort
to self-destructive behaviour or commit suicide after having returned
home. It has grown into a huge problem. On account of their self-image
of manliness, a regress to childhood motherly dependency is out of the
question. These are generally tough men that have been brought up on
the role model of the crew-cut, dedicated, American guy, who can
always fend for himself and refuses to be a burden to anybody else.
Thus, the traumatized ego cannot sink back into motherly
unconsciousness and dependency, but must ward it off by repeated
self-laceration in some form.

However, we know that the paragon of manliness, the mythological
Heracles (Hercules) donned women's clothes and did service to the
Mother goddess for a time. I suggest that this is indicative of an
ancient form of therapy for traumatized soldiers. They were persuaded
to slough off manliness, regress into a childhood mind-set, and go and
live in the lush garden of the Mother, there to enjoy themselves, eat
fruit from the tress, free of all cares. Obviously, for the
traumatized soldier, a therapy of strengthening consciousness to
reinforce the ego, is already too late. I also suspect
Cognitive-Behavioral therapy is ineffective in these cases. Hence, in
order to put an end to the repetition of the distressing experience,
which, according to my argument, constitutes a defense against
regression, the patient ought to follow the example of Heracles, and
allow himself to regress into boyhood, there to fall into the arms of
the Mother. This is effectively a breach of the incest-barrier, which
explains the averseness that it invokes in the male.

Arguably, this is how trauma should be treated in the general case,
also when it comes to self-cutting girls. The patient should be
mothered, convinced to abandon responsibilities and cares. The defense
involving destructivity will abate, as there is no longer an
incest-barrier to defend against. So it is not the question of making
conscious the causes of trauma, because this is, in itself, a form of
self-laceration that constitutes a defense. In fact, the solution is
the opposite, namely to consign all problems to oblivion. The process
involves the restitution of the ego in the fountain of life, which is
the unconscious.

Mats Winther
http://home7.swipnet.se/~w-73784/