Conversation: When the Client Experiences Shame as a Reaction to the Compulsion to Repeat
Freud recognized that significant repressed material might be repeated in behavior rather than remembered. He introduced the phrase "the compulsion to repeat" to characterize this phenomenon. Freud also thought that "the greater the resistance, the more extensively will acting out (repetitions) replace remembering" (Freud, 1914, Remembering, Repeating, and Working-Through, 151). More recent discoveries expand Freud's understanding by focusing on how initial traumatic actions become locked in place on a neurobiological level. When triggered by a reminder of the trauma, the same psychic action will be activated. Trauma causes the feeling of reliving the event. Shame might occur when this compulsion to repeat contrasts with a client's valued character traits. Two case examples of this phenomenon will be presented.
Course Objectives:
1. Participants will be able to gain an understanding of the compulsion to repeat.
2. Participants will learn the difference between repetitions from the past and character traits.
3. Participants will see how repetitions might elicit feelings of shame.
Facilitator: Lorna Goldberg, LCSW, PsyA
Place: Zoom Meeting
Date: Sunday, November 14, 2021
Time: 11:am to 1:00pm
Fee: $10 payable via Zelle or PayPal using ipsinfo@ipsnewjersey.org
Zoom invitation will be sent 24 hours prior to the event.
This course, provided by The Institute for Psychoanalytic Studies, Inc. is approved for 2 Clinical continuing education hours by the New Jersey Society for Clinical Social Work.
