Contemporary Psychoanalysis and the Legacy of the Third Reich F or most of the twentieth century, Jewish and/or politically leftist European psychoanalysts rarely linked their personal trauma history to their profes- sional lives, for they hoped their theory—their Truth—would transcend subjectivity and achieve a universality not unlike the advances in the “hard” sciences. Contemporary Psychoanalysis and the Legacy of the Third Reich confronts the ways in which previously avoided persecution, expulsion, loss, and dis- placement before, during, and after the Holocaust shaped what was and remains a dominant movement in Western culture. E mily A. Kuriloff uses unpublished original source material, as well as personal interviews conducted with émigré/survivor analysts and scholars who have studied the period, revealing how the quality of relatedness between people determines what is possible for them to know and do, both personally and professionally. Kuriloff’s research spans the globe, including the analytic communities of the United States, England, Germany, France, and Israel amid the extraordinary events of the twentieth century. Contemporary Psychoanalysis and the Legacy of the Third Reich addresses the future of psychoanalysis in the voices of the second generation—thinkers and clinicians whose legacies and work remain informed by the pain and triumph of their parents’ and mentors’ Holocaust stories. These unprece- dented revelations infl uence not only our understanding of mental health work, but of history, art, politics, and education. Psychoanalysts, psycholo- gists, psychiatrists, sociologists, cultural historians, Jewish and specifi cally Holocaust scholars will fi nd this volume compelling. Emily A. Kuriloff is a Psychologist and Psychoanalyst. She is in private practice in New York City and she is Training and Supervising Psychoanalyst at the William Alanson White Institute, New York. Psychoanalysis in a New Key Book Series Donnel Stern Series Editor When music is played in a new key, the melody does not change, but the notes that make up the composition do: change in the context of continuity, continuity that perseveres through change. Psychoanalysis in a New Key publishes books that share the aims psychoanalysts have always had, but that approach them differently. The books in the series are not expected to advance any particular theoretical agenda, although to this date most have been written by analysts from the Interpersonal and Relational orientations. The most important contribution of a psychoanalytic book is the communication of something that nudges the reader’s grasp of clinical theory and practice in an unexpected direction. Psychoanalysis in a New Key creates a deliberate focus on innovative and unsettling clinical thinking. Because that kind of thinking is encouraged by exploration of the sometimes surprising contributions to psychoanalysis of ideas and fi nd- ings from other fi elds, Psychoanalysis in a New Key particularly encour- ages interdisciplinary studies. Books in the series have married psychoanalysis with dissociation, trauma theory, sociology, and criminol- ogy. The series is open to the consideration of studies examining the rela- tionship between psychoanalysis and any other fi eld—for instance, biology, literary and art criticism, philosophy, systems theory, anthropology, and political theory. But innovation also takes place within the boundaries of psychoanalysis, and Psychoanalysis in a New Key therefore also presents work that reformulates thought and practice without leaving the precincts of the fi eld. Books in the series focus, for example, on the signifi cance of personal values in psychoanalytic practice, on the complex interrelationship between the analyst’s clinical work and personal life, on the consequences for the clinical situation when patient and analyst are from different cultures, and on the need for psychoanalysts to accept the degree to which they know- ingly satisfy their own wishes during treatment hours, often to the patient’s detriment. Vol. 18 Vol. 10 Contemporary Psychoanalysis and the Sex Changes: Transformations in Legacy of the Third Reich: History, Society and Psychoanalysis Memory, Tradition Mark J. Blechner Emily A. Kuriloff Vol. 9 Vol. 17 The Consulting Room and Beyond: Love and Loss in Life and in Psychoanalytic Work and Its Treatment Reverberations in the Linda B. Sherby Analyst’s Life Therese Ragen Vol. 16 Imagination from Fantasy Vol. 8 to Delusion Making a Difference in Patients’ Lois Oppenheim Lives: Emotional Experience in the Therapeutic Setting Vol. 15 Sandra Buechler Still Practicing: The Heartaches and Joys of a Clinical Career Vol. 7 Sandra Buechler Coasting in the Countertransference: Confl icts of Self Interest between Vol. 14 Analyst and Patient Dancing with the Unconscious: Irwin Hirsch The Art of Psychoanalysis and the Psychoanalysis of Art Vol. 6 Danielle Knafo Wounded by Reality: Understanding and Treating Adult Onset Trauma Vol. 13 Ghislaine Boulanger Money Talks: In Therapy, Society, and Li fe Brenda Berger & Stephanie Vol. 5 Newman (eds.) Prologue to Violence: Child Abuse, Dissociation, and Crime Vol. 12 Abby Stein Partners in Thought: Working with Unformulated Experience, Vol. 4 Dissociation, and Enactment Prelogical Experience: An Inquiry into Donnel B. Stern Dreams & Other Creative Processes Edward S. Tauber & Maurice Vol. 11 R. Green Heterosexual Masculinities: Contemporary Perspectives from Vol. 3 Psychoanalytic Gender Theory The Fallacy of Understanding & Bruce Reis & Robert The Ambiguity of Change Grossmark (eds.) Edgar A. Levenson Vol. 2 Vol. 1 What Do Mothers Want? Clinical Values: Emotions Contemporary Perspectives in That Guide Psychoanalytic Psychoanalysis and Related Disciplines Treatment Sheila F. Brown (ed.) Sandra Buechler Contemporary Psychoanalysis and the Legacy of the Third Reich History, Memory, Tradition Emily A. Kuriloff First published 2014 by Routledge 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Simultaneously published in the UK by Routledge 27 Church Road, Hove, East Sussex BN3 2FA Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2014 Taylor & Francis The right of Emily A. Kuriloff to be identifi ed as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice : Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identifi cation and explanation without intent to infringe. Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Kuriloff, Emily A. Contemporary psychoanalysis and the legacy of the Third Reich : history, memory, tradition / authored by Emily A. Kuriloff. – First Edition. pages cm. – (Psychoanalysis in a New key book series) Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Psychic trauma. 2. Psychoanalysis. 3. Germany–History–1933-1945. I. Title. RC552.T7K87 2013 616.89’17–dc23 2013004360 ISBN: 978-0-415-88318-4 (hbk) ISBN: 978-0-415-88319-1 (pbk) ISBN: 978-0-203-84588-2 (ebk) Typeset in Garamond by Cenveo Publisher Services For Allison Leah and Melissa Anna How deep is the ocean? How high is the sky? This page intentionally left blank Contents Foreword by Philip M. Bromberg x Preface xiii Acknowledgements xvi 1 It’s Not What You Have Written Down 1 2 History Means Interpretation 22 3 Not Gentle Creatures 45 4 The Founding and the Final Hour 68 5 Throwing Stones at the Future 97 6 Like Shadows 115 7 A Child Is Something Else Again 136 Bibliography 159 I ndex 171