The Intersubjective and Social Unconscious are Inseparable

Abstract

Culture within the analytic group is intersubjective. The matrix includes intense interpersonal events. The drama taking place within the group may be defined as intersubjective. The drama occurring in the multi-dimensional complex of society as a whole may be defined as the social unconscious. The connection between these two dramas is unbreakable. In this article I describe a traumatic event that occurred in the here and now of the group, an event which revived past traumas of patients and conductor alike. The events belong to the wide social context. In the second part of the article I expand upon some aspects of my Jewish and Israeli identity. I describe some childhood memories connected to the Holocaust, and I refer to the way that these memories influence my interventions in my role as a group analyst.