Exile and bereavement

SUMMARY

In this paper I describe the disruptions of external and internal reality in the experience of exile, the interplay of these, and the impact of bereavement in the context of trauma. I consider the factors which disturb the mourning process in such circumstances. I draw upon the psychoanalytic literature, particularly that related to the Holocaust and other ‘man-made disasters’, and upon my own clinical material. Particular attention is drawn to the importance of acknowledgment and containment, and to awareness of the symbolic value of traditional mourning practices.