The Vast Silence
Exploring Loss, Grief, and Healing in the Irish Diaspora
Recorded Saturday 11 June 2022
With Siobhán McGee, Jane Haberlin, Dr Oonagh Walsh, Dr Michael O’Loughlin and Kerri ní Dochartaigh
CPD Credits: 4 hours
From colonial occupation to partition, from the Famine to the Troubles, Ireland has experienced much turmoil and loss. Countless people died in the great hunger, and since 1700, 10 million have emigrated for survival. The scattering of Irish people across the world means that many of us (10m in England) are the descendants of those who experienced the anguished loss of family, history and land. The proposition of this conference is that this has led to distinct manifestations of intergenerational trauma running through the diaspora.
READ MORE...We know from the growing psychotherapy literature on intergenerational trauma that the unprocessed distress of our parents, grandparents and ancestors finds its way into the minds and bodies of our descendants. This transmission of emotional impact from one generation to the next is thought to be a consequence of occlusion – the hiding of shameful oppressions, humiliation and loss. So long as these affects remain dissociated they will emotionally disturb and unconsciously seep into the inner selves of the next generation. Such feelings are all the more harmful because they are not connected to memory or meaning.
Our goal on this day will be to explore emotional issues that may be particular to people of Irish heritage, which are expressed directly or indirectly in therapy, particularly shame, depression and grief. We will consider what is helpful in in working with those experiences in the consulting room. And, beyond that, we will also be exploring how reclaiming the land, language and the wisdom of the ancient Ireland can transform Irishness into a source of strength, personal knowledge, healing and connection.
CPD – An optional certificate of attendance for up to 4 hours of CPD, based on completion of a multiple choice questionnaire, will be available soon.
Access to the Talks On Demand runs for 365 days from the date of purchase.
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