‘Since the profession of international negotiations are mainly based upon “realist” theories that wars are caused by utilitarian motives, I have applied my psychohistorical theory that wars are suicidal, motivated by pathological self-destructive emotional memories, and proposed that a new profession, “peace counseling,” should be created and used to bring about peaceful relations between violent groups by using psychoanalytic and psychohistorical techniques to achieve conflict resolution. Psychoanalytically-trained psychologists such as Herbert Kelman and Vamik Volkan have made a start by running “track two diplomacy” groups that have held meetings with private professionals from two threatening nations in unofficial workshops, where participants share the injuries inflicted upon them by the other group and work toward empathy for the suffering and fears the groups have caused each other. The workshops are what Sandra Bloom terms “a sanctuary for recalling traumas,” and are completely private and confidential. There is no audience, no publicity, and no record. They are designed to produce changes in the workshop participants in the form of more differentiated images of the enemy, a better understanding of the other’s perspective, greater insight into the dynamics of the conflict, and new ideas for resolving the conflict. They are not negotiating sessions, but achieve their effectiveness by having those who attended them pass on their new perspectives to foreign policy officials, who then can attend future workshops. Such workshops have been successful in changing attitudes between Israel and Palestine, and between groups in Rwanda, Northern Ireland, Kosovo, Cypress, Indonesia and other areas. In Carne Ross’s book Independent Diplomat he explains how his diplomatic advisory group has been hired by those who want to avoid the gross distortions that are inherent in most diplomatic tasks. There are even books containing articles written by dozens of peace psychologists who have been successful in establishing workshops that have changed violent behavior to peaceful. Roger Fisher in his book Getting to Yes describes several “reframing” techniques he found successful in interpreting demonizing and reducing initial angers. David Perlmutter shows how he reduces cortisol violence in groups by meditation techniques. And Ervin Staub’s splendid book Overcoming Evil: Genocide, Violent Conflict, and Terrorism details how he has been effective in conducting peace efforts in wars in Rwanda, Darfur, Palestine and Israel. The track-two workshops must be expanded by applying the psychohistorical principles of this book to take into consideration our theories of wars being caused by memories of child abuse that have been embedded in group amygdalan fear centers. Unlike Volkan, who states, “I do not propose that psychoanalysts replace trained diplomats in the arena of international negotiation,” I believe trained psychoanalysts and psychohistorians—particularly those who have done marital therapy and those who have treated delinquent gangs, who have handled the inner fears of people who are often ready to kill each other—should indeed be peace counselors. These counselors could identify the demonic dissociated voices in each group, their “Terrifier” voices, examine the fears, hatreds and scapegoating those voices engender, undo their war trances, allow group members to express their feelings of being disrespected, locate the self-destructive wishes they embody, and finally express remorse for the harm they have done. The counselors could say they are the guilty ones if war starts, since their job is to produce peace, allowing both sides to identify with a guilt admission. The two sides can begin by fighting with the counselor rather than each other. Peace counselors do not, of course, aim at providing full psychoanalytic insight, but hope for reaching the dissociated “time bombs” embedded by early traumas. They can see that they feel they deserved being hurt as children, and are now inflicting the hurts on others. They face for the first time their fears of freedom and how these drive them to find dictators. Experience in working with patients with multiple personalities would help peace counselors talk to dissociated personalities by asking if they can “talk to the angry part of you separately.” Nigel Hunt describes techniques of constructing new historical narratives that help overcome war traumas. Psychotherapists who have practiced group psychotherapy could apply their techniques of overcoming group projections to peace counseling. Female peace counselors might be particularly effective in allowing both sides to re-experience in a safe environment their early painful maternal accusations they suffered, when they were told that they were “bad.” Recently, even the American Psychological Association, which traditionally backed all U.S. wars, has begun a Peace Psychology Division that has promoted peacemaking activities.’—Lloyd deMause
Posted on: Wed, 05 Mar 2014 00:36:27 +0000
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