Mar 7Helping individuals “earn” secure attachment takes visionThis article is written for clinicians wishing to facilitate the Earned Secure Attachment (ESA) process. However, other readers may also find it helpful. As children we are entirely dependent on the adults around us. A secure attachment to at least one caring adult helps establish necessary capacities and skills to…Attachment8 min read
Nov 29, 2021Goodbye necessary illusions, hello new realitiesThe drama of acknowledging one’s early trauma In a previous article, I addressed a type of grief which tends to accompany the witnessing and experiencing of a ‘psychological death’ of a parental figure. This is where a parent is simultaneously physically present and psychologically absent, usually in the context of mental illness, such that a parent is…Psychology10 min read
Oct 27, 2021Care to dance?Metaphors as partners against Covid The pandemic is nowhere near over. We’ve entered a whole new way of living, one with seemingly few guarantees and no clear exit. Until current vaccine rollouts in Australia and world-wide improve, the ongoing public health crisis will continue to impact on quality of life…Dance5 min read
Mar 3, 2021Widening their aperture: Why organisations need to be sensitive to trauma right nowIt doesn’t take much to scratch the surface of almost any mental health organisation to see that they depend on a resilience approach in their practice and policy, but without being trauma-informed. Trauma-informed here means using interventions, treatments, etc., sensitive to the needs of trauma survivors (Jennings, 2004). The positive…Trauma14 min read
Nov 30, 2020Easily moved: Why do some find Trump’s aggression appealing?During Donald Trump’s 4 years in the White House, his supporters appeared to remain loyal while the President generated social friction, unrest and incitements, to negatively influence many Americans, emotionally and psychologically. His intention? To create a highly charged political environment, motivate others to take what they believed to be…Trump13 min read
Sep 30, 2020Trump: How can trauma help explain his die-hard support?On 22nd July, 2020, an Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) radio presenter, Fran Kelly, asked US President Donald Trump’s niece, Mary Trump, the following question: “As a psychologist, can you understand Donald Trump’s appeal to those many hundreds of millions of [supporters]?” …Trauma12 min read
Mar 7, 2020Greta Thunberg: Exploited?Some view young climate activist Greta Thunberg as a victim, others as a heroine. For example, according to Quillette (Neuding, April 23, 2019), some adults are enthralled, like former US ambassador and US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who said: “You go, girl”. Others see Greta as a victim of…Psychology6 min read
Dec 17, 2019The parents who never wereGrief over an illusion of a functional upbringing In an earlier article entitled A ‘psychological death’: Absent parents and the sense of loss” (Misrachi, 2019), I discussed ‘psychological death’ (Kaplan, 1995), i.e., where a parent is simultaneously physically present and psychologically absent in the context of mental illness. Here I…Mental Health9 min read
Oct 6, 2019A ‘psychological death’: Absent parents and the sense of lossImagine trying to get through to your parent whom you care about and from whom you want or need some kind of meaningful engagement. Yet despite all of your sincere efforts over the bulk of your lifetime all has come to nought. Perhaps they were or are somehow psychologically and…Mental Health8 min read
Mar 4, 2019Abandonment: How 2 powerful men grappled with early shameThose who ascend the social ladder and attain great power are often sculpted by shame. The looming fear of being socially humiliated hangs over them, as they have much more to lose living in the public eye. As the saying goes: ‘the higher they climb, the harder they fall’. As…Shame7 min read
