The Ones Left Behind: A Siblings' Bereavement Group

Abstract

An analytic therapy group for family members of murdered victims of terrorist attacks offers particular benefits. This article discusses one such group, the members of whom were 12 surviving siblings of victims of terrorist attacks in Tel Aviv. Usually bereft of people with whom to share their darkest feelings, these siblings found among the group members people with whom they could do so. Their individual mourning processes were facilitated, and they were helped to move back into life. The firm analytic group boundaries and constancy were critical therapeutic elements, as were the conductors' attention to transferential and countertransferential processes. One peculiarity of the group was an uncanny sense of the ongoing presence of the murdered siblings.