The protective role of mentalizing traumatic experiences: implications when entering pareting

Abstract

It is widely recognized that experiences of abuse and trauma in childhood, particularly those that take place in the context of attachment relationships, hamper the development of a fundamental sense of security in relation to others; leaving the victims with a deep sense of loneliness and unbearable affects and pain associated with the trauma that cannot be shared.. When abused children grow up and become parents in turn, they remain extremely vulnerable to disorganization and confusion when facing the helplessness of their children. This leaves them more likely to react inappropriately when affects linked to unresolved trauma are activated. However, as demonstrated by Fraiberg, those parents who are able to face traumatic experiences and so-called "ghosts of the past" have a lower risk of transmitting trauma to their children. This suggests that mentalizing is an important factor of resilience.