Early appearance and intergenerational transmission of maternal traumatic experiences in the context of mother-infant-interaction

At the age of 9 weeks a girl was presented by her mother because of intoler able hysterical attacks' triggering maternal impulses of abuse. Maternal pe rception of her infant was distorted to the extent that the mother was reex periencing encounter; with her own intrusive and traumatizing mother in the face of her screaming child. She also perceived the infant's motor impulse s as physical transgressions against herself and expressed intense anxietie s about her daughter's future aggressive potential. The infant was viewed b y her mother as extraordinarily and dangerously greedy. Even neutral infant ile vocalizations were perceived as manipulating and sadistic. She tried to ward off these anxieties by employing a rigid scheme of rules and obsessiv ely controlling the father's and grandmother's interaction with the child. The mother feared to be overwhelmed by the infant's needs if she'd yield to them in a flexible way. A background of early neglect and trauma experienc ed by the mother is illustrated considering recent literature about early i ntergenerational transmission of traumatic experiences in order to demonstr ate treatment modalities in view of protective and risk Factors.