A window into the collective unconscious in an extraordinary time of collective trauma and transformation: Social dreaming through the pandemic

This paper argues that material from dreams offers a resource within the social sphere that has potential for the practice of action research. The modern approach to dream interpretation, following Freud, has almost exclusively been situated at the level of the therapeutic dyad where the significance of dream material is circumscribed within individual and private space. The author presents a reflexive self‐study drawing on some of her own experiences of interpreting her dreams and following a social constructivist approach drawing on feminist and Jungian perspectives. The study attempts to show how bringing dream material into the social realm of the group can enable the exploration of deep emotions and co‐construction of meanings while neutralising much of their (sometimes) frightening and (within the dominant discourse) disturbingly personal nature, and celebrating the complex intelligence that arises from the processing of layers of unconscious material. An account of successive stages and depth in the analysis of one fragment of a dream demonstrates dream interpretation as having strongly socially situated features. Multiple possibilities for analysis of this dream become apparent, when interpreted within different paradigms and contexts. Therefore, it is argued, different kinds of social space may call forth different patterns of dream interpretation, opening up potential for ‘social dreaming’ as practised by W.G. Lawrence, and in the Institute of Group Analysis where the focus shifts from the dreamer to the dream, with the potential to illuminate issues and concerns that we experience in specific social contexts and for specific social purposes.

107 1 Director, Child and Family Specialization, Clinical Psychology Department, Antioch University Los Angeles. Correspondence should be addressed to George Bermudez, PhD, Antioch University Los Angeles, 400 Corporate Pointe, Culver City, CA 90230. E-mail: gbermudez@antioch.edu. This article describes and summarizes exploration of the unconscious group self (a self psychological–like configuration proposed by Heinz Kohut for group-level phenomena) by applying social dreaming (SDM), a group dreamwork practice developed by the neo-Bionian psychoanalyst Gordon Lawrence. A brief overview of the scant literature on the group self concept and social dreaming is provided, followed by a summary of several applications (SDMs on American xenophobia and Whiteness) with a focus on the creation of a communal home for witnessing, bearing, and integrating the dissociated affect related to collective trauma. In addition to the illuminating application of the group self concept, three other group self psychology concepts are proposed and defined: group self state dreams; the forward-edge function of social dreaming; and social dream moral witnessing, which promotes the emergence of a communal home for collective trauma.

The present study evaluated the traumatic stressors experienced by Somali refugees to Canada ( N = 169) that might be associated with poorer cultural adaptation and greater depressive and trauma symptoms. As well, it was suggested that indices of social support might mediate the relations between traumatic experiences and psychological outcomes. Regression analyses indicated that collective trauma experiences (e.g., civil warfare) were associated with poorer cultural adaptation but were not related to depressive and trauma symptoms. Furthermore, collective trauma was unrelated to social support perceptions that might have mediated the relation to cultural adaptation. In contrast, personally traumatic experiences (e.g., assault from a familiar other) were related to increased depressive and trauma symptoms, and these relations were mediated by self-reports of encountering unsupportive social interactions. Qualitative analyses of interview data ( n = 23) suggested that refugees had developed a shared understanding of collective trauma that may have protected against psychological distress.

This paper considers the tensions between individual and collective experiences, responses and framings in gender-based violence (GBV). I explore three concepts that aid understanding of GBV – isolating, collective trauma and commoning – and question their utility in understanding trauma and the process of survival. The arguments are evidenced with survivors’ testimony from a participatory action research project on experiences of trauma from GBV. First, the isolating of survivors, taking multiple forms, is not just ‘how it is’, but a condition created and exploited by perpetrators and buttressed by social perceptions and practices to reduce access to sources of support. Second, I consider whether GBV might be thought of as collective trauma, a concept from Black and postcolonial literatures to describe structural traumas that are communal in nature. I explore the collective aspects of experiencing, surviving and rebuilding from GBV, and resonances and discontinuities with this notion of collective trauma. Third, commoning emphasises mutual aid in resistance to violence, and better reflects diverse experiences of GBV. It offers an alternative promise of collective care in an era of shrinking and neoliberalising service provision, illuminating existing practices by which GBV survivors and feminist organisations work to make and remake survival.

This research study is an attempt to explore the literary text of "Sea Prayer" written by Khaled Hosseini with the perspective of trauma study that includes personal trauma model of Cathy Caruth and collective trauma model of Kia Erikson. The theoretical framework focuses on both i.e., Caruth (1996) personal trauma discussed in "Unclaimed Experience: trauma, narrative and history" and Erikson (1991) collective trauma discussed in "Notes on Trauma and Community". This research study examines the elements of personal trauma of the Narrator's character through flashbacks, timelessness and unspeakablity. On the other hand, the elements of collective trauma are also investigated that are breakage of communal bond, distrust in future, mood of fear and depression on the collective level. In addition, the method used is the qualitative analysis. Through aforementioned elements, the researcher has discussed the collective trauma of Syrian community as a whole.
 Keywords: Trauma, Sea Prayer, textual analysis, Cathy Caruth.

We applied qualitative analyses of a focus group based on participants' experiential observations at Ghanaian heritage sites. University students from the U.S. (n=5, mean age = 19.8, 60% male, all white) and Ghana (n=8, mean age = 26, 62% male, all African) visited the Cape Coast slave dungeon. Two hours after the visit, participants engaged in a focus group to share their emotional and cognitive responses, regarding the contrast between the enslaved Africans' living conditions and those of European colonizers. They also reflected on how these historical contexts could relate to structural pathways influencing COVID-19 disparities. The session was recorded, transcribed, and analyzed, guided by the collective cultural trauma framework. Emerging themes included: structural racism fosters health-compromising contexts and behaviors; body fluids as micro-transmission mechanisms linking racism to health outcomes; internalized domination and inferiority, and the need to confront structural racism to address racial health disparities. Findings reveal that structural racism perpetuates health-compromising conditions and fosters medical mistrust and race-based hierarchy to (re)produce health disparities. Structural and population-level interventions are needed to promote health equity and accelerate the SDG goals such as good health and well-being.

This study comprehensively examines the impact of social media on the formation and intensification of collective trauma in the Middle East through a digital meta-analytical approach synthesizing 47 empirical studies, encompassing a total of 31,842 participants, published between 2015 and 2024. The results reveal a strong and statistically significant correlation between the intensity of social media use and levels of collective trauma, with a correlation coefficient of r = 0.67 and a p-value of < 0.001, indicating a consistent and substantive relationship. Furthermore, regression analysis indicates that exposure to violent content through social media accounts for 43.2 percent of the variance in communal post-traumatic stress symptoms, affirming the role of digital media as a significant catalyst in amplifying collective psychological responses to conflict in the Middle East. Daily social media use exceeding five hours was found to significantly increase the risk of experiencing collective trauma by 2.8 times, with an odds ratio of 2.84 and a 95 percent confidence interval ranging from 2.31 to 3.49. Platforms such as Facebook and Twitter demonstrated a more substantial influence in widely disseminating traumatic experiences, with a beta coefficient of 0.58, compared to Instagram, which had a relatively lower influence with a beta value of 0.34, indicating that the structural and technological logic of each platform mediates the psychological transmission effect. Thematic analysis across studies revealed three primary mechanisms through which trauma is transmitted via social media: first, the amplification of traumatic narratives, accounting for 41.3 percent of identified patterns; second, the normalization of violence at 32.7 percent; and third, the reinforcement of collective identity based on shared traumatic experiences at 26.0 percent, thereby creating a digital ecosystem prone to the social accumulation of negative emotional states. These findings substantially expand the scope of prior research, such as that conducted by Atallah in 2017 and Nasciutti and Rahbari-Jawoko in 2021, which focused more narrowly on individual trauma, by highlighting a broader collective dimension and emphasizing the specific roles of various digital platforms in reinforcing these psychosocial dynamics. This study also identifies a novel pattern of both theoretical and practical significance, namely that algorithmic content recommendation contributes significantly to the formation of closed psychological echo chambers of trauma, intensifying exposure to traumatic content and deepening the affective impact of Middle Eastern conflict within digital spaces, with a significance level of p < 0.001. Accordingly, these findings underscore the urgent need for strategically designed and contextually grounded digital interventions to mitigate the burden of collective trauma in communities affected by protracted armed conflict in the Middle East.

Issue/Description Reflective Citizens (RC) as ’psycho-social transitional spaces’ - were established in 2005, when Serbia joined the International Listening Posts (LP) Network of OPUS (Organization for Promoting Understanding of Society). Recognizing the need for more reflective citizens’ spaces, for continuously ongoing work through social trauma, Psycho-Social section (PSS - GAS Belgrade) began organizing them more often and in different cities. Serbian RC developed specific conceptualization and methodology, carefully integrating aspects of LP, group analysis, group’s relations, and social dreaming, which are still in the process of evaluation and improvement. Results RC in Novi Sad have started in 2014, with a huge enthusiasm, as a team work of PSS. It is recognized that Novi Sad, as a multinational and specific multicultural environment could develop Applied Reflective Citizens - Citizens’ dialogue in cultural spaces in Novi Sad, as supportive and open space for all citizens who wish to develop themselves, multiculturalism, tolerance and better social environment. At the seven workshops organized by now, the beginning was marked by a session of social dreaming. Free psychosocial associations in thinkrooms have defined the topics: loneliness, helplessness, walls and borders, migrations, diversity, mental malnutrition, the presence of evil and the need for goodness, lack of communication... and on the basis of them, the corresponding hypotheses. Lessons Applied Reflective Citizens have become the support and open space for all citizens who want to contribute to multiculturalism, tolerance, a better social environment, understanding the environment and building incentive bridges in communication through dialogue and also to contribute to a positive cultural climate, building cultural capacities and fostering cultural dialogue through mutual reflection, thus contributing the quality of life, which is of public health significance. Key messages Reflective Citizens can be a contribution for improving health in community through fostering dialogue and mutual reflection. Reflective Citizens give an open space for all citizens who want to contribute to multiculturalism, tolerance, better social environment, thus contributing quality of life, and to public health, also.

This article scrutinises the meaning and role of pluralism in times of global disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The coherent pandemic responses have been accompanied by the rise of censor...

After collective traumas such as natural disasters and terrorist attacks, members of concerned communities experience intense emotions and talk profusely about them. Although these exchanges resemble simple emotional venting, Durkheim’s theory of collective effervescence postulates that these collective emotions lead to higher levels of solidarity in the affected community. We present the first large-scale test of this theory through the analysis of digital traces of 62,114 Twitter users after the Paris terrorist attacks of November 2015. We found a collective negative emotional response followed by a marked long-term increase in the use of lexical indicators related to solidarity. Expressions of social processes, prosocial behavior, and positive affect were higher in the months after the attacks for the individuals who participated to a higher degree in the collective emotion. Our findings support the conclusion that collective emotions after a disaster are associated with higher solidarity, revealing the social resilience of a community.

The article analyzes the key factors in the formation of collective trauma. For the population of Ukraine, the current conditions of Russian military aggression contribute to the simultaneous formation of individual and collective trauma. Trauma negatively affects personal, psychosomatic, and social conditions. The war with the enemy following the COVID-19 quarantine became an ideal incubator for growing mental health problems. The key factors of collective trauma for the Ukrainian population were: significant prevalence of trauma, considerable social irritation, collective and comprehensive sense of injustice, inability to respond quickly, and the long-term nature of traumatization. The most common comorbid disorders of collective trauma are anxiety disorders, depression, alcohol abuse or dependence, and psychosomatic disorders. Women and children are the most vulnerable, therefore long-term family, medical, and psychological support and rehabilitation of affected families is necessary. In situations of military aggression and collective catastrophe caused by humans, the need for psychological assistance increases. The article analyzes the problems of training psychologists during collective trauma and shows the international cooperation of foreign colleagues with teachers of the Department of Psychology and Social Work at Vinnytsia Mykhailo Kotsiubynskyi State Pedagogical University in training future psychologists. The article conducts quantitative and qualitative analysis of the activities of the psychological clinic "Balance" at Vinnytsia Mykhailo Kotsiubynskyi State Pedagogical University. The number of consultations and reasons for referrals are indicated. Participants of the International Institute for Trauma Studies who were involved in psychological practice at the "Balance" psychological clinic require constant professional accompaniment and support in the form of supervision.

This article is a critical analysis of the biographical-political documentary entitled Nelson Mandela: The Living Legend (1918-2013), published by the British Broadcasting Corporation as part of its multi-dimensional global media projects. The two-part series narratively outlines an illustrious, albeit significant historic, political and transformative period spanning about 67 years embodied in Mandela's persona as a symbol of the dialectic of resistance and transformation in South Africa. The article employs qualitative content analysis to highlight the producers' use of specific filmic excerpts that frame Mandela as the symbolic figure and transformative leader who reconfigured South Africa's political stalemate to democracy. This is augmented by an ideological analysis of the socio-economic and political milieu premised within the institutional context represented in the documentary. Despite the functional agenda setting role that the film packaging process espouses, the producers' application of Western constructive ideological framing as the epicentre upon which the legendary qualities of Mandela are pivoted is evident. This eventually yields into the focalisation of Mandela's transformative model to highlight as well as demonstrate the benefits of reconciliatory-inclusive politics in facilitating change as opposed to the antics of violence and confrontational conquest often associated with individualist paradigms and politics of patronage. Thus, beyond purveying the protagonist as a symbol of both political influence and moral integrity, particularly during the transition period, the documentary is a vivid mise-en scene that showcases Mandela's charismatic leadership as the prototype befitting the qualities of iconic international statesmanship.

The long-lasting conflict between the Indonesian administration and GAM ended in 2004. Yet, while the fighting came to an end, the residue and fragments of the conflict remained. The attempt to reconcile with violence and trauma is best captured through the works of contemporary Acehnese writers. Among other works of fiction, the novel writers try to express what the conflict meant for the Acehnese people. To this end, the current article is aimed at exploring Acehnese representations of violence and trauma through the metaphorical and symbolic meaning of ‘night’ in five contemporary Acehnese novels. This paper demonstrates the way the Acehnese contemporary writers represent the violence and trauma through the metaphor of ‘night’. Qualitative content analysis was used to reduce, narrow, and categorize the words, phrases, or paragraphs extracted from the novels. The data was analyzed by a post-conflict approach. The novels reveal kinds of violence and trauma through the imagery of ‘night’ highlighting multi-layered experiences during the conflict and bring the concept of postcoloniality through their writing. The five novels have tried to bring into play the ‘unfinished business’ of post-conflict Aceh. The novels also highlight the role of contemporary Acehnese novels in post-conflict societies. The disappeared left buried or unburied, the violence, the unresolved trauma, the continuing inequalities and injustices, and the struggle during the conflict means that the Aceh of the past haunts and disturbs the Aceh of the present.

The concept of post-memory, introduced by Marianne Hirsch, offers a framework for understanding how collective memory is transmitted across generations. This study examines intergenerational trauma through a qualitative descriptive analysis of Christina Baker Klein's novel Orphan Train. It focuses on Vivian Daly’s traumatic experiences as an orphan train rider and their impact on her identity and familial memory. The research aims to explore how Vivian’s past shapes her understanding of her history, her role within her family narrative, and how family narratives and inherited objects contribute to preserving memory and transmitting trauma intergenerationally. Findings reveal that family narratives and objects play a critical role in maintaining memory and shaping familial identity. These elements not only preserve individual experiences but also act as conduits for transmitting collective trauma across generations. Contextually, this study highlights the broader relevance of post-memory in social situations such as migration or cultural conflict, where trauma influence’s identity formation and community ties. By situating its findings within the discourse on collective memory and trauma, this research contributes to understanding how personal and familial histories intersect to shape intergenerational identities. This study underscores the importance of considering intergenerational trauma in analysing collective memory processes. Keywords: Collective Memory; Family Narratives; Intergenerational Trauma; Post-Memory

Relevance. russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine poses significant challenges to the mental health of Ukrainians. Special attention must be given to first responders, who are directly involved in providing assistance in conflict zones or working with individuals exposed to severe stressors. This category also includes volunteers who are actively engaged in delivering psychosocial and humanitarian aid. Volunteering during the war in Ukraine is associated with high levels of distress, constant changes in work environments, emotional burnout, and direct exposure to both individual and collective trauma. These factors place volunteers at increased risk for developing neurotic and stress-related disorders. Thanks to volunteer initiatives, Ukraine was able to mitigate many socio-economic challenges during the early stages of the war. However, as the scope of volunteer tasks expands, so do stress levels and exhaustion, which negatively impact productivity and efficiency. This highlights the need for research into the factors contributing to the onset and spread of mental health disorders among volunteers. Aims. To investigate the causes and prevalence of neurotic and stress-related disorders among individuals engaged in volunteer work during the war. Materials and methods. The study consisted of two phases and included both quantitative and qualitative data analysis. The first phase involved identifying predictors of the development and vulnerability to neurotic and stress-related disorders among volunteers providing aid during the war. This was done using a standardized evaluation questionnaire that included psychodiagnostic tools, a socio-demographic data survey, and mental health status complaints. The second phase involved diagnostic verification of mental disorders among volunteers who received positive screening results based on the psychodiagnostic methods. The study sample comprised 288 volunteers engaged in humanitarian aid during the Russo-Ukrainian war. The sample included individuals aged 18 to 60 with varying levels of volunteer experience. Results. Statistical analysis of the personalized questionnaire for volunteers during the war revealed that the main factors contributing to the development of neurotic and stress-related disorders are: feelings of hopelessness (39.2% of respondents); inability to adapt to new environments (58.3%); difficulty in assimilating new norms and rules (55.8%); separation or divorce from a loved one (43.3%); worsening of living conditions (65%); forced career change (23.3%); negative influence of the media (42.3%); interpersonal conflicts within the volunteer group (34.3%); and feelings of isolation from others (21.1%). Out of the total of 288 volunteer respondents, 114 participants from the first phase of the study were selected for clinical-psychopathological interviews, representing 39.58% of the total sample. Following the interviews, it was determined that 82 out of 114 participants met the diagnostic criteria for neurotic or stress-related disorders according to ICD-10, specifically from the F40-F48 section on “Neurotic, stress-related, and somatoform disorders.” The remaining 32 volunteers did not meet the criteria for mental disorders. Conclusions. The study revealed that volunteer activities in wartime conditions are associated with an increased risk of developing neurotic and stress-related disorders. To reduce this risk, it is essential to implement psychological support systems for volunteers and raise their awareness of their own mental health. Additionally, it is recommended to develop personalized psychological correction programs, especially for those who have been involved in humanitarian activities for extended periods.