Psychotrauma and reconciliation.

Our goal was to analyze the phenomenon of intergenerational transmission of trauma-related feelings and propose a way to alleviate this process through reconciliation of conflicted groups. The genesis of psychotrauma, with respect to the organism's defensive barrier being pierced by too strong external impulses, is discussed in terms of activation of the death instinct or by reactivation of childhood trauma. Genesis of the group trauma is explained in terms of chosen trauma, ie, activation of ancient national or other large group traumas, leading to the creation of malignant prejudices and hyper-activation of the social unconscious. Development of hatred, guilt, shame, and a need for revenge is illustrated with a number of examples from the 1991-1995 war in Croatia and the Holocaust, together with the influence they bear on an individual and a group. Therapy of psychotrauma could be a possible means of prevention of intergenerational transmission of traumatic emotions. Special attention is given to the retraumatization of Croatian war veterans in terms of the influence it exerts on future generations. A therapeutic model developed on the basis of eight years of clinical experience, designed specifically for veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder, is presented. The mechanism of intergenerational transmission of traumatic emotions as understood mainly through clinical experience in work with second-generation Holocaust victims is discussed.