THE EMPTY CIRCLE - CHILDREN OF SURVIVORS AND THE LIMITS OF RECONSTRUCTION

The em pry circle symbolizes the absence of representation, the ruptur e of the self, and the erasure of memory that together constitute the core legacy of massive psychic trauma. A brief case vignette and a mor e extensive fragment of an analysis are used to illustrate how the una ssimilable empty core of trauma may perpetuate itself in the lives of adult children of Holocaust survivors, exerting a dominating force ove r their identities, memories, fantasies, and transference feelings. De velopmental conflict models are often insufficient in explaining these powerful phenomena. The analyst's underlying acknowledgment and accep tance of the realness of an ''absence'' at the core of the trauma (and the sustaining bond this forges) may provide a counterforce to the ru pture of the trauma, and may create a space for patients to come to an awareness of the origin of their particular life themes in the trauma tic experience of the parents.