Trauma, Loss, and Working Through in an Analytic Candidate’s Life

ABSTRACT

Recently, psychoanalysts have begun to write about the ways in which trauma and loss in their lives have affected their work. However, there has been nothing published about that subject in the life of a psychoanalytic candidate. This article is an exploration of the ways in which a family tragedy that occurred during my candidacy affected my psyche, my training, and my work. It was particularly poignant that my trauma reignited issues of trauma and loss in my two analytic cases, both of whom had a history of trauma and loss. The structure and guidance provided by my analysis and supervision during this time were comforting and healing, and enabled me to continue to work confidently with patients.

KEYWORDS:

• Trauma
• loss
• candidate
• candidacy

Acknowledgments

I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to Stephen Bernstein, Penny Freedman, Ellen Helman, and Adriana Rosen for their endless support and valuable comments during the process of writing this article.

This essay is written from my perspective about an event that happened to my husband. I have shared my writing with him throughout the process of creating this essay.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Shirley C. Malove

Shirley C. Malove, LCSW, Ph.D., received her doctorate from Smith College School of Social Work and her undergraduate degree at the University of Florida. Dr. Malove is a graduate and faculty member of Florida Psychoanalytic Center in Miami, Florida, where she is a member of the Education Committee, serves as Candidate Liaison, and is on the Curriculum committee. She has taught seminars on Infant Development and Attachment and their Implications for Relational Theory. She has also taught seminars on the Treatment of Adolescent Females Victimized by Social Aggression as well as published an article on the same topic in Clinical Social Work Journal.