"When we are in acute fight or flight with a partner over seemingly benign matters, this could likely be the unremembered child poking through. It can also show up in sudden withdrawal, disproportionate anger, or even moments of unexpected tenderness."
"Dissociation, once understood as a pathology, is better recognized as a necessary adaptation to a threatening environment. The mind siphons off the violence to survive in the present state."
"Trauma is thus not what happens to us but what failed to happen-namely, the ability to process, narrate, or metabolize the event in words and feelings."
"Psychoanalyst Christopher Bollas has a useful name for this early part of ourselves: 'generative innocence.' This refers to a vital, creative core in the psyche."
Dissociation acts as a protective mechanism in response to trauma, particularly from childhood. Repeated conflicts in adult relationships may indicate unresolved trauma linked to the 'unremembered child.' This part of the psyche, split off during early experiences, can manifest in emotional reactions such as anger or withdrawal. Trauma is not just an event but the inability to process it, often occurring without parental validation. The concept of 'generative innocence' highlights the creative core within the psyche that remains affected by these early experiences.
Read at Psychology Today
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