The Traumatised Mother's Inner World
Saturday 15 June 2019 - London
Implications for the Child's Development
This seminar aims to elaborate the significance of the mother’s emotional capacities on her baby’s forming mental health. Our two presenters will consider how far attachment, systemic and psychoanalytic theories can help us to support psychologically fragile mothers so they can grow in their capacity and confidence in offering maternal love. In particular, we will focus on women who have experienced serious and ongoing emotional adversity in life. Problematic emotional states can suddenly emerge on giving birth, sometimes fulfilling psychiatric diagnostic criteria such as a “personality disorder” but often in women who do not have any previously diagnosed emotional condition.
READ MORE...Such a new mother can have significant difficulties managing the constant demands that caring for her baby makes on her already depleted emotional resources. Here, unconscious defensive processes are always active and can render a baby at risk.
This is a very extensive problem in our society and as practitioners we can make an important contribution by developing our understanding of how and why the experience of becoming a mother can lead to a sudden deterioration in a woman’s mental health. Participants will have an opportunity to reflect and discuss clinical cases and to gain a better understanding of how theory informs therapeutic formulation and intervention.