Through the Looking Glass: The Role of Fantasy in Trauma

Abstract
Exploration of fantasy has been a neglected aspect of psychotherapy outside the purview of psychoanalysis. However, work with fantasies can be a deep and rich addition to therapy. Adaptive fantasies can provide wonderful, creative escapes from reality that resource and inspire us, enriching our lives, and clarifying our future actions. They can provide alternative explorations of secure attachment and healing that support relationships. However, they may also reflect social denial of trauma, fostering a world view that is not adaptive. Fantasies may thus become personal prisons, leaving clients bound by maladaptive expectations and behaviors that support avoidance of reality. We will discuss the roles of explicit and implicit fantasies in clients, including the newer syndrome of Maladaptive Daydreaming. Dysfunctional fantasies typically arise in the context of isolation, neglect, trauma, severe attachment disruptions, or loss. They may become maladaptive substrates of mental representations (Internal Working Models) of self and others and can affect how well clients can mentalize. Types of fantasies include omnipotent and perfectionistic ones that manifest in inner critical beliefs and avoidance of help and support; fantasies of care and rescue that underlie dependency; fantasies of the perfect relationship; narcissistic fantasies of power, control, and exceptionalism; erotic fantasies; and fantasies involving trauma, rage, sadomasochistic elements, and revenge. Participants will learn how to recognize maladaptive fantasies and discuss these with their clients in a nonjudgmental and curious way. We will then explore ways to resolve the central conflicts and avoidance of reality in these fantasies.
 
This session was originally presented as a live conference session in April 2023.

Target Audience

Intermediate

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this session participants will be able to:

  • Discuss the adaptive role of fantasy in development
  • Delineate core issues involved in maladaptive fantasies
  • Identify maladaptive fantasies that prevent progress in therapy
  • Distinguish between implicit fantasies and maladaptive daydreaming
  • Analyze different types of fantasies and therapeutic approaches to their resolution
Course summary
Available credit: 
  • 1.50 ISSTD Certificate Program
    This program is eligible for 1.50 credits in the ISSTD Certificate Program. No certificate of completion is generated for this type of credit.
Course opens: 
11/01/2023
Course expires: 
12/31/2050
ISSTD Member cost:
$35.00
Your Price:
$55.00
Part of: 
Against the Grain: Shifting the Societal Denial of Dissociation (2023 Annual Conference) - Day Three
Rating: 
0
Presenter: Kathy Steele, MN, CS
Presenter Bio: Kathy Steele, MN, CS has been in private practice in Atlanta, Georgia since 1985, specializing in the treatment of complex trauma, dissociation, attachment difficulties, and the challenges of complicated therapies. She served as Clinical Director of Metropolitan Counseling Services, a low-cost psychotherapy clinic from 2000 – 2016. She is especially interested in the developmental journey of the therapist, the therapeutic relationship, compassionate approaches to resistance, and how to help therapists focus on process over content. She is an adjunct faculty at Emory University, and a Fellow and past President of the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation. Ms. Steele regularly teaches internationally and consults with individuals, groups, and trauma programs. She has received a number of awards for her clinical and published works, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from ISSTD and a Distinguished Alumni Award from Emory University, and is an Honory Lifetime Member of the European Society of the Study of Trauma and Dissociation. She has published numerous journal articles and book chapters, and has co-authored three books, including The Haunted Self (2006), Coping with Trauma-related Dissociation (2011), and Treating Trauma-related Dissociation: A Practical, Integrative Approach (2017). She has participated in groups that wrote the Treatment Guidelines for Dissociative Identity Disorder (ISSTD) and Practice Guidelines for the Treatment of Complex PTSD (APA). Kathy is known for her humor, compassion, respect, and depth of knowledge as a clinician and teacher, and for her capacity to present complex issues in easily understood and clear ways. She enjoys collaborating with colleagues around the world on clinical, educational, and research projects.

Available Credit

  • 1.50 ISSTD Certificate Program
    This program is eligible for 1.50 credits in the ISSTD Certificate Program. No certificate of completion is generated for this type of credit.

Price

ISSTD Member cost:
$35.00
Your Price:
$55.00
Please login or register to take this course.

"Your Price" above reflects your final price based on your membership status and career level. 

  • ISSTD defines a student as those enrolled in a program of study leading to a degree or certification in the mental health field and who have an interest in trauma and dissociation. 
  • ISSTD defines an emerging professional as mental health professionals who have completed an advanced degree and are in the first three years of their career (or first three years after graduation for researchers).
  • If you do not fall into one of the above categories please register as Professional/Retired. 

These prices are for Tier I countries. For a list of countries by Tier click here. If you are located in a country that falls into Tier II-VI please contact ISSTD at [email protected] to receive the appropriate discount code. 

All purchases of recorded content are final.