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    Camila Fernanda Sastre Díaz
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    In 1980, the American Psychiatric Association officially acknowledged "PostTraumatic Stress Disorder" "PTSD" included the mptoms of what had previously been called shell shock, combat stress, delayed stress syndrome, and traumatic neurosis. The impact of trauma as a concept and a category has done so only at the cost of a fundamental disruption in our received modes of understanding.

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    In 1980, the American Psychiatric Association officially acknowledged "PostTraumatic Stress Disorder" "PTSD" included the mptoms of what had previously been called shell shock, combat stress, delayed stress syndrome, and traumatic neurosis. The impact of trauma as a concept and a category has done so only at the cost of a fundamental disruption in our received modes of understanding.

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    3K views11 pages

    Cathy Caruth - Trauma - Introduccion

    Uploaded by

    Camila Fernanda Sastre Díaz
    In 1980, the American Psychiatric Association officially acknowledged "PostTraumatic Stress Disorder" "PTSD" included the mptoms of what had previously been called shell shock, combat stress, delayed stress syndrome, and traumatic neurosis. The impact of trauma as a concept and a category has done so only at the cost of a fundamental disruption in our received modes of understanding.

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    of 11
    TRAUMA Explorations in Memory diced, wih Inwodctions, by caTHY caRUTH ‘The Johns Hopkins Univesity Press Intropuction In the years since Vieenam, the Sls of paychiaty,prychoanayis, and sociology have taken 2 enewed interes in the problem of trauma I 980; the American Pechiavic Asocaon finally oficialy acknowledged the Jong zeogaied but fequendy ignored phenomenon under the tide "Pos “Traumatic Sues Dsoids" (PTSD), which included che symm of what fad previously been called sell shock, combat ses, deayed sess 57 ‘drome, and waumatic neurosis, an refered to response to bth human and ‘natural cxartropher.On the one hand, this lasfation and cs atendant fil acknowledgment of pathology has provided a category of disgnosis 0 powerfl that it har seemed to engulf everything around it: suddenly responses no oly to combat and to naural catastrophes but alo to rape, Child abuse, and 2 numberof ocher violent ocutrences have been under. ‘ood in ters of PTSD, and diagnoses of some disociaive divordes have also been switched tha of trauma. On the other nd, cis powerful new ‘ool has povided anything buc sold explanation of disease. ined, the impact of waurna a3 concept and a category if ichas helped diagnosis, has done o only a the cose of Fundamental disroption in oi ected modes of undetsanding and of eure and a challenge co ou very comprehension of hax consates pathology. This can be sen in the debate thas surround category A" ofthe American Pychiatrc Assocation’ defirition of PTSD (@ response oan evene “outside the range of ual human expense”), oa ‘xing how cesly PTSD mabe ded ro pei kinds of een orn the piyehosnlyic problem of whether trauma is ined pathologic in the ‘aul sense in relation vo dtartion eased by desires, wishes and repre sions. Indeed, che more we atticoriy locate and csiy che ympeome of PSD, the more we stem to have dilocated the boundaries of our modes of understanding 0 that paychoanalysis and medially rienced psychiatry, sociology history, and eve ierasare all seem wo be clled upon to expin tocar, Fc show why ice dat we an no longer simply expan oF simply cute, The phenomenon of trauma has seemed vo become alrincasiv, but it has done so precisely because ie brings us othe limits of our undersanding: if poycoanalye,prychiary, sociology, and even Uneracare are beginning: Ina eachother anew in che dy of tau iis because chey ae istering throigh the adil durption and gap of eaumatic experience. Ta this yolume Ihave asked leading thinkers in many dicen dics pliner espond co this ruption and 0 the nage makes posible, co speak to each othe dhrough the new ignorance thar trauma intoduces smongitTheaimofthisvolume, as Ihave hus formulated i, iso examine the impact ofthe experience, and the notion, of wauma on prychounaytic cic and hay ell aon other wpe of uur ich ee nd pedagogy the construction of history a wing and film and socal or poled sev. Lam inerested no 0 machin further defining uum, thai thas in stempeing vo undewtand its surpesing impact: wo examine how eaumaunsetdes and forces ust rethink out nations oF experience, and of communication, a therapy, in the dassroom, andi iterate, aswel a In paychoanalytic theory In this incoduction I wil suggest rie whac ee 2s the challenges thar rama poss to prychosnaltie theory 38 wel as the posible ic open within psyehoanlysis and more generally within con- temporary thought While the precite definition of post-traumatic suss disorder is con- texted, most desrptions gene agree tac thet isa rerponse, sometimes Aclyed oan overwhelming event or evens, Which takes the form ofr ‘peated, intrusive hallucinations, dreams, thoughts or behavior stemming fromthe even alongwith numbing chat may havebegun durngor afer the cexptince, and possibly also increased aroutl (and avodanec of) simul teeing the even? This simple defi bais avery peculiar fc: he pathology cannot be defined ether by the even ielf—vwhich may ox may fot becataswophic, and may nt taumaixe everyone equllp—norcan iebe dined in ers ofs dizorsonof the event, aches haunting power as ‘esl of dsortng penn! sigifcancesazached tit The pathology con Si, eather, sally in che trate of i exec reception the event is tot asialted or experienced Filly atthe time, bur ony belatedly, in is ‘epeated poneion of he one who expeiences ic To be eraumatize is pre ey soe posses by an image or even. And thus the eaumatic symptom cannotbe incerpetd simply, asa dsortion frei, nr a the ening of unconscious meaning oa realy i wishes ignore, nora the epresion of ‘what once was wished, Inded, in 1920, faced with the onset of "war net ‘ose from World War I, Freud war axonithed at thir resbtance to the whol field of with and unconscious mening, comparing them ro another long-resitane phenomenon he had del ith che cident nero Dreams occuring eumatic euros hiv the chance of eet ‘lly binging the pine back aco the saan of is soe, a ‘ion om which he wakes pin anther right. Ths astonithes people too ile. Anyone who sce it something selfeient tht reams sould put chem Back a night fo the dination tht eased ‘hem oil har minundentod the mature of deans (E84) ‘The uring traumatic deam stares Fred because i cannor be nder- stood in cerms of any wish or unconscious meaning, bu is, purely and ‘nepal, che terl return of the event again the will of the ane it Inabis, Indeed, modern analy ar wel have remarked on the surprising let nd sonsy bolic naa of traumatic dears and ashback, which ressecure co the exten ha they rms, prec iter Ii his eral ands insitene rerun which thus consis eaua and poins toward es «nigmacc core: the eyo incompletin in knowing, even in sein, an ‘overwhelming occutence that then remains, ini insistent rer, ab50- lacey seo the erent. Ie i indeed this rth of aumacc experience that forms the center of ts pathology or symproms ici not «paolo ha i, offachood or displacement of meaning, burof history isle IfPTSD must be understood asa pathological sympeom, cen eis not so mucha smptom ‘ofthe unconscious, aie isa symptom ofhistor. The teumatined, we might say cary an imposible istry within them, o¢ vey become themes the symptom ofa istry thar chey cannot ensiely poses. Yerwhatcan it mean ha history occurs a3 symprom? Iris indeed this carious phenomenon tha makes trauma, or PTSD, int defisiion, and in the impati aso de lives of hose who live, intimately bound up with 2 ‘question of truth The problem rss not ony in repr co dose who lien to the raumatized nt knowing how to eshte sali oftheir ll ‘ations and dreams i occurs ater and most during often within che very knowledge and experience ofthe raumaied themselves Fr onthe ‘one hand, the deems, hallucinations and thoughts ae aboutly ler, unasimiable wo asocaive chins of meaning I hier ame have ssi dha possess the receiver and resets paychounalyicinerpeaion and fae? Yer the fat that this scene of though is nota poses knowledge, bt ice posewes, a will he ane inhabits, fen produces a dep uncer airy asco very euch: ‘Achill survivor ofthe Holocaust who hd ben a Thies on ‘iu had aback of in and dda know whee hey ae fo the chghe she wae going cay Until oe dy, in 2 goup survivor Inetng + an ays Yer a Therese you coud se he wins thnugh he bref the chiles barack” She wa tied eo dcoer thes nt mad. Re 90) “Te survivor unerng tnt simple rae for he event eu as Fed polms out inseny and apie hei wi, Noe a mace of inde seca tun en sine hbase ar gene of eens tro scent ath bribe th Ir no, hat having wo lise or ‘Sect seces tan expences ach in quesion i tia bor paradoxical enough, ery overelning medic, hat producss ier teed eneceangy Indeed, behind the lo expen of weet thn wold pops rales quincy he ic of aura, what ShosansFelman i he ay nth volume cal the “Trg more ro found lem defnable eis of th -Proceding om comemporry trum” Sach eis of tush extends Ueyond he queion of india hve nd show ein the er can hae aca 0 out on ore cpetene te ahr thats infu immedaeys to whore uth heres rosinpe ene Toul sop tha this ris of uth, the sore eigma eyed by ure, that poses the ese caleng 0 payhoanali and itcng fk more boy othe cece of tauma rach rede For the empl to undescand tau bigs one eps ois pclae thin wate pene conotaton wih ely ma abo zur Sabu numbing wo that iediay, puedo enough, may eke {frm of betedncs Eememie and pncolga planation neve Guero match the fil implications of his range Henry Kyl, SGtsgon he werkt Cahen and Kio, fs inkir cay forsale toh impact ofan vat in wich“ ce of enon of any Kad is Tern te pyche instead, vd, ke found” Silay, Doi Laub bas tergeted ne ase oye caus “precdes vegeaon"s ici" ‘ead cher has yr ob tude (Laub, ph, The peasy ofan event ‘howe ve math by is ack fein is developed in De Labs piece forthe volume, in which he sugges hac the Holocaust nvaved a *allapse of winesing" inary wa aking pice with oo wise: wa io che very cca stance of big inde he ven hat ade wntinkable the very naion ‘sca wien could eit The imo impeaive o bet wines eal exenly not be me darn thar are, ‘While Dr Laub remarks define + specie qualiy of the Holocaat in prior which we would nor wish too quichly wo generalize he touches on Something nonecless ha seems oddly to inhabi al saumati experience: the inability fly co wites the event asc oceurs, othe ably to witness the ene fly only atthe cor of witnessing oncsell. Cento the very immediacy of chi experience, chat ia gap hat carrie the force of che event and docs oprecily tthe expense of simple knowledge and memary. ‘The force of hit experience would appear ro are precily n other words, inthe callape offer undentanding. eis inded the link berseen this incapable raumatic oid and the ‘ature of historical experience that i he focus oF Freud great sudy of Jewish history, Mase and Moot, in which he compares the history of the Jews with he rerverate of rau. What ising, for Feud is he exam ofthe eentaer a ptiod of dey Jemay happen thar someone ges aay. ppeenty unharmed rom he spot whee he has steed & storing sede. fr ingance in Colson Inthe eure of the allowing wed, however be devdope = snes of gave pace and mowor amram, which can be wetbed ‘nto i shock or whatever ce happened thee of the acide “Hehasdeloped a "sumati nevrns” This appears gute inompe- eal ai therefore novel face. These apa berween he sceient nd theft appeannce the symptoms isle the "nee ‘on ped” amparen aon co the pathology of ifcous d- fase. elchefeatze oe igh em ny 93.84) In dhe tem “steno” the period during which che este f the experience se noc apparent, Freud seems to describe the auma atthe sucaive ‘ovement fom an event co te repression eo it rear, Yet what italy striking about the accident vcs experience ofthe event and what a fet consiut the central enigma of Freud example not much the petod offorgenting thc occurs afer the accident, bu athe the fat that the vietizn ofthe crash was never ily conscious during the accident lth person feu sway, Freud sys, “apparentyanharmes,” The experience of tums, the fic of larency, would thus seem to consis, notin che forging of 2 telly that can hence never be fly kaowa, bue in an inherent latency Within che experience tele The historical power ofthe rauma i not jst thar the experience ie epevted afr its forgeting, bu ha is only in and ‘hough is inherent forgetting tha ics ie experienced a all And is his Jnren tency of he event that paradoxically explain the peculiar poral ruc, the beltedness, oF historical experience: since the aumatc ‘ren isnt experienced a ic occur, iti lly evident only in connecsion ‘with another plac, and in another time. [eepresion, in wauma is eplaced by lateny tei igaitcant ino fe aes blankness—the space of uncon sciousness—isparaoxialy what precy prseresthe event in it liter aly, For hisory wo bes history of eraums meaas that cis efeential pre (ely othe ete that ee ot filly perceived a occurs 0 2 pati sorcwhar deren chat history ca be grasped onlin che very maces biligy oft ecurence* Tre’ le insghe ino this inexsiable and paradoxical relation be- cvern history and tauma can coll ur something abou the calenge it presen poses for psychoanalysis frit suggests thar what trauma hao cll, {ethe hisorcal and personal ruth it ernamir—ie inet bound up igh ie ef oF hisericl boundaries tha is eth is bound up with cs {sis of ruth, Thisis why would sugges, paychoanayis has ben best by problems surrounding, precy the historical uch seconds to wauma of ‘whether ic cae it ultimate origin inside or outside the payehe- On the one ‘hand, many have noted in the debate suttounding the historical reiry of ‘rauma for Fred, chat he was, fom the begining, always concerned with the lation bennen the ocutence of al traumatic events and the expei> cnet of pathology; many have pointed ro the extly Suds om Hera and “Preliminary Communication” bur one eould perhaps already se the be- innings ofthis ners inhi fre pblished book, On Aphaia, exploring [physical trauma to the brn. On che other hand, many fave suggsed that Freud apparent "giving op” of the reality of childhood seduction served for Freud fllowes, if ot entirely for Feud himilfo relocate the oi- nso rau ene inside the pace, ia the individual’ ana life and Fence to disvow the istic reity of violence ee, fr example, Masson, 1984. While the instence on the ty of violence is 4 necesary and limportanc ask, paticulaly aa corrective to analy therapies that would redace cau to fanny ile or ade rama tothe evens of childhood, ‘nonethcesthe debate concerning the location of che orgs of traumatic ‘xpeience a insde ox ode the payche may lo mis he cent Freudian insight into teauma tha he impact af the esumacic event ies preci in itsbeaednes in is ef wo be simply locate, in is insistent appearance ‘outs the boundaries of any single place oie, From hs ey caiman ‘the Pj fora Scenic Pyeblogy tha a eauma consis of to scenes the eater (in daldhood) having sexual content but ao meaning, the ler (afer pubery) having no sexu coment but sexual mcaing’—to bis later clams, n Macs and Monon thatthe ama occa onl afer aetency esod, Feud seemsro have been concerned, ar we have suggested, with the ay in which eauma is nota spe or single experience of evens but that ‘rents inofar as they ae traumatic asume tierce precy in cheit temporal delay. The apparent split benween extemal nd intel eaumain prychoanalyc theory, and elated problems in the paychiaredeitons ‘of crauma—vhether co define i in tems of evens or of eympeomatie r= sponses to events o the reve contribution of previous traumas to the present one—would all be a Function, in Freud definition, of the split Within immediate experince that characeies the eaumatc ocuaence isl Irs the fundamenal dslocaion implied by all raumacc experince thats both it restimny to the evene and othe impo of es det. acces, Andis the challenge ofthis paradoxical notion any preconceived understanding of experience that permits what Laura Brown calls the "rad cal potential of paychosnlyi 0 “reel the es tts of pin among us" “his historical conception of aura can alto be understood ae cone ing the urgene cenzaity oe prychoanayic hiking ofthe relation beeneen ‘iss and survival. Harold Blooms ey fr this volume, focusing on the drive's “nonlcation and iterprecing Feud’ notion ofthe dive a a “bor deland coneeps” in terms of “the contamination of drive and defese” rates this question by implicitly drawing on the central paradox ofthe ‘theory ofthe death deve that arose in Fre’ confronaion with the wat ttaumas of World War I the sotion chitin inanimate matter the dive orgiacd a a defense, and specifically asa defense apne che traumatic imposon of if; ha life began as urugeeto return to dent (Bloom, 1983). Underswod a an aempe explain the expesence of war trauma, Freud’ fel shoughe provides a deeply dlieurbing insight int the enig- mate relation beeween trauma and survival: the fac tha, fr those who undergo trauma, it is nor only the moment of ee event, bu ofthe pacing ‘outoficthar is taurat: that vial elf in other word, can be erin. ‘With cs insight pychoanaysis is no longer simply a sateen about overs, bucis self compexact and satement afeurviva Robert Jay Lion would seem ro suggest thi, indeed, when he implicly characte ae Freudian rauma theory and che theory ofthe death ive a resuling froma struggle for aurvival withthe eraumas of Wold War. aychoanlyti theory, Ihe would have us recognize occasionally speaks its abacus choughts out of an inense and no full simiated confrontation with death. Ad Bloons characeiaation of Freud alo ake wero lien o im sox at a mere theorist bur at a witness who apes, enigmaccally our ofthe ers of his own, survival "Frees peculiar strength was to say what cou not be si, oa least co atempe to say it thus reising o be sen ia the ice ofthe uns able" Baychoanalytc theory nd eau would indeed meet, in thisperpee- tive, oa the grounds ofthis imposible ying on the onehnd the esaysin this volume remind ur ofthe nace ln of eraua, ofits ecianc o Fill heretical analysand underanding, ‘heyalo open up 2 perspective on the waysin which auma can make pos blesurvival and onthe means of engaging tht possibly rough the die. ne moder of therapetic rerary, and pedagogical encoun. By tuning rj ar we have sggeted, ftom 4 notion of aumatc experiences neu rote dsortion, dhe authors ofthese ess bring us back continual othe ‘jer surprsingfehat rama isnot experienced ata met represton ox de enue, burar temporal delay chat caries che individual beyond the shock of thes moment. The tauma isa repeaced suring ofthe even, buitsalo + continual leaving of sit. The traumatic experiencing ofthe event hse ‘amr with what Dori Laub cal the “callape of winesing" the imposi= bility of knowing thas fst consiated it And by carrying that impassbiy flowing oucof the empirical event isa, trauma opens up and challenges {toa new kind ofteing the wienesing. preci ofimponibiliy, "low does one lien eo what ie imposibe? Cetialy one chalenge of «his ening i that may no longe be simply chic: tbe able lien othe impossible, tha isis oto have been cbse by it, fre the pos sii of mastering ie with knowledge. This iis danger—the danger 48 some have put ig of the traumas “conagion” ofthe waumatzain of the ‘nex who laten Tet 58). Buti als is only passilty for ansmission, “Sometime itis benen” Dor Laub sugges, speiking nica, “noe o know too auc (Laub, 1992). To lite tothe ert ofa rama, tht ‘oc ony to lien forthe even, but co hearin the estimoay the survivors departefom it the challenge ofthe therapeu itene,in other words ‘oo linen vo departure ‘The inal import ofthe peychoanalytic and historical analysis of tauma Isto sugges hat the inherent depazere, within trauma, from the moment of ‘tint occurrence, sab « mean of passing out ofthe slation imposed by the event char the history ofa crauma, nits inherent belaednest, can only take plice chrough the licening of anther, The meaning ofthe traumas sddeess beyond isl concen, indeed, noe ony indvidal isolation but 4 ‘wider histori inelaion cay, in ou dines communicated om the evel of ‘ureultures. Such an addresscan be loeated for example, in Feu intng, ‘om his ex in England, om having his final book on trum Ms ‘Monathim-—transated into English before be dct or in the survivors of Hiroshima fst communicating thei stories tothe United Sete through the ‘araive wren by John Hersey, nore penevaly in the survivors ofthe ‘atasiophes of one culture addressing the survivors of anothet* Thi speke ing and this isteniog—a speaking and a listening fom the eof rama docs no, would suggest. on what we imply know ofeach other baton what we dot yet know of eur own saumatic pst, Insestastophiage, hat i, trauma itl may provide the very ink between cultures: ho spe understanding ofthe pass of others bu rather, within the taumas of eon ‘empoar history, 2s ou ably tite though he deparures we have all ‘taken fom oureles, Notes 1 This defnon wad ough DSM LR, The prs wa lined on ‘egy Ain se DSA cen, sc sped inp eet sed Pablo is innodcio). The dear coneing wha ec fens fone ea eaaing none cones 4. Serf caplet definiion of PTSD in American Pycisi Aciion (98) ante deans of PSD ne acedcon order a se $.SeeCohespan 90h 4 See Can, op $ Se apanct 7 Sud Mom oly shot ance sf ef ue stow ei ona unto dear fom Veit On te eames ot thetolandaton Gr (98, rh andar Wi ep oe tee ‘th pean of ys Hr ite chi pan ‘ator deely rere pres noon psd heb me isthe nied cert hchusoncecn a ombing References ‘AmeccanPychinic Asosiaon. 187. Dipti and Saisie! Mara f Moat ‘Danes 3 dy ee Washington, CAPA ono, Har 8s Te Thy of Ronin New Yas Oxford Urivesiy Pie ‘Cath Cay, “Une Expense: Tums and he Poi of ony” le enh Sa 9 (99. Cen Jona gp0u The Rolf Ieprecion nb Pychounae Tey of “Tanmared Press" apt ppd rh Sih Avia Maen ate ‘aoa Soi or una Ste Said, New Oss —youb The ns aig in cbowralye” Paper repre forthe Sih “Rana Mango the Inertial Sec frTaumate Ste Sti, New Oucan Freed Sigmund. 139. Main and Mowe. Tas, Kuhn Joes. New Yas Vinsee ioe is), The Send lin ofthe Compe Pycbliel Work of Send “Rel ol Todd nde theory of ane Seay in aaron ih Anns Fes ied by Alec Seachey and Alen Ton 24 ve 59-70 Leadon Hogar. Gy ee 188 Pra ALi fr Our Tine New ak Noe Hen J 8, Homaina New Yok Baas Kesar, Fora. go, "The Dynamics of Bf Group Therapy in Homogeneous Tepultnos Chl Suva ofthe Heese” Paper pure forte Sith ‘a Marin of slvr Sale fr Tuma Ses Sie, New Otene tapi Jean. 1970 Land Det in Pha Tans, Jey Mehran. Bal ine Jha Hopkin Universi Pre. Lach Do st "No One Ba Wes wo he Wines.” In Timon Cre of ‘Wining in Lier, Poceanabe, end Hires Shohans Fzan and Dor Luk NewYork Roa Mason iy. Te Anal oT: Suprsion oft Seton Tho. "NewYork engin. “ec Lenore, 88 “Remebeed Iage sod Thum A Dycholog ofthe Spe cua” The plana Say fe Cid New Have: Ye Usteiy Me van de Kalk, Bese Ave 8, Por Traumatic Sor Dre: Pall nd ‘Bolo Sep, Wingo, D.C: Area Pei rs Seems EDUCATION AND CRISIS, OR THE Vicissirupes oF TEACHING 1 Indies eanteven and hve enti of education? To fue the une evn moe sian od sha ls hee oon Ever uma and pelagogy? Ina pou ety» cm hat hare unilble ival cawopes te nyt th we haven otha eth en se dtc tw isto Sele! Can ens ope aden peda se igh one yey of emuma? Ca he ef thine ed by re el tres dan hela expt bent on he ees hand (lek cheng Pacownas we oh dcp of human mena wei pez by king timo om tr pens, Can educa ne {ie bythe pce the ein hl smpang chad tein ough omega aon? Wt do cant ‘betesinony? Whaeds pcs what esti Can implesion of he pcos en and heey son so te sony ina in the pedeojelepecence? Can te poe ta ‘onytaofbaingwinen os us ocanuma be made ihe

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