role reversal

[Adam Blatner]

I just replied to Jorg and agree with what he says.
        ---- Original Message ----- From: bulmonte21 at bluewin.ch To: adam at blatner.com ; list at grouptalkweb.org Sent: Tuesday, May 15, 2007 7:33 AMSubject: AW: role reversal Dear Adam, 
       sorry but I was unaware that Bud answered to a question or a comment of yours (maybe this is the disadvantage if we delete all former correspondance - it is hard to trace back if this is something new or something related to a past subject - maybe it will be helpful to give this remark in the beginning).

As far as I can understand correctly what you want to convey I agree with your point on role reversal: it is not even always indicated but sometimes impossible or even worse contra-indicated (up to the point that it could be considered in those cases as a serious professional fault). I am working a lot with trauma clients. In my experience it depends so much on the individual situation: the type of trauma, the fase of the treatment, the protective ressources because identification with the aggressor is always one of the core subjects for victims and role reversal may just reinforce this self-damaging tendency. In La Coruna Natacha and me were giving a conference and large group work on non-violent, peace building interventions in groups. In the discussion one woman from El Salvador stated that she was a former guerrillera but she was still unable after more than 10 years of therapy, self experience and becoming herself a helper for others to forgive their torturers or make the role reversal with them. She just commented by that one intervention we had explained which tries to reduce the de-humanization of the "other", the "enemy"  and  the spiral of destructiveness and revenge (but not by role reversal). This led to the very important discussion about our (us as therapists) own limitations to forgive and our own hidden search for revenge which we have to admit and to work on.

All the best, regards

Jorge
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