Abstract
Three Israeli family therapists describe the clinical relevance of living and practicing in an environment of ongoing life-threatening conflict. They began with an assumption that Israeli and Palestinian adults in Israel/Palestine have similar experiences of this conflict. The context in which self and other (enemy) are socially constructed is explicated within the frameworks of political, economic, social, religious, and personal factors. In the therapeutic context, the impact of shared vulnerability between therapist and families is illustrated through treatment vignettes and examples from clinical supervision. The juxtaposition of demonization and humanization of the enemy is described in relation to the process of therapy. Coping mechanisms such as empathizing with the pain of “the other” are described as applied to the clinical setting. The authors also describe the Palestinian/Israeli Forum for peace, in which bereaved families of both nations join in a mutually supportive self-help group.
Editors’ note: First published in 2005, American Family Therapy Academy Monograph Series.
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© 2014 American Family Therapy Academy
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Geron, Y., Malkinson, R., Shamai, M. (2014). Families in the War Zone: Narratives of “Me” and the “Other” in the Course of Therapy. In: Nelson, T., Winawer, H. (eds) Critical Topics in Family Therapy. AFTA SpringerBriefs in Family Therapy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-03248-1_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-03248-1_2
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