Individuals with Nazi and Nazi-Sympathizer Family History: Psychotherapeutic Issues

This article presents the findings of an ongoing supervision group (founded in 1999) researching the after-effects of the Nazi period on people in psychotherapy in Germany today. The unacknowledged collective shadow hidden behind half-truths, prevarications, and silence itself prevents a genuine working through of the Nazi past. Patients’ lack of knowledge concerning their families’ own past leads to unconscious guilt, which often then leads to psychosomatic disturbances. But this is not only a problem in Germany. Unacknowledged collective shadows are prevalent in many countries worldwide. Psychological difficulties on the individual and societal levels result.