The Romani Woman and the (non)Wandering Jew: Immigration, Dissociation, and The Search for Belonging

Abstract

The author writes about growing up with her complex and enigmatic immigrant father, who lived many years as a stigmatized other, a Russian Jew in northern China. She focuses on the impact this personal family history has on her treatment with a female Romani patient from Eastern Europe, a more recent immigrant, who also lived many years as a stigmatized other. The author differentiates between the experience of one-time immigrants and migrants, the latter being haunted by generations of dislocation, which causes them to question their fundamental sense of safety and belonging. The author discusses the ways the personal and professional threads become interwoven in the work, impacting the bi-directional conscious and unconscious flow of the treatment. Together patient and analyst build toward a mutually transformative moment, following a clinical impasse.

Keywords:

• Dissociation
• immigrant
• migrant
• Romani
• trauma

Acknowledgments

An earlier version of this paper was presented at the Division 39 conference in Chicago (2010) and Boston (2013) and the IARPP conference in Toronto (2015). I would like to thank Adrienne Harris for her patience, guidance and wisdom guiding me through the evolution of this paper. Deep thanks also to Heather Ferguson, Victoria Demos, Michael Feldman, Arthur Fox and Melinda Gellman for reading many drafts through the years. The original idea for this paper was generated in a supervision group with Jody Davies.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

¹ In his later years, Brynner became an outspoken advocate for Romani rights, proving yet another uncanny link to my work with Isabella. Growing up, I had no idea of Brynner’s background or personal connection to my father’s story. To me, he was simply the King of Siam.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Susan Klebanoff

Susan Klebanoff, PhD is a clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst in private practice in New York City. She is a faculty member at the Stephen Mitchell Center for Relational Studies and a clinical supervisor at National Institute for the Psychotherapies (NIP). She is a co-editor with Adrienne Harris and Margery Kalb, and contributor to, Ghosts in the Consulting Room and Demons in the Consulting Room, two books about intergenerational transmission of trauma. Dr. Klebanoff writes and presents on immigration, unwelcomeness, creativity and eating disorders.