Title: Birth, Pleasure, and Trauma

This work seeks to highlight the centrality of the maternal body and bodily pleasure at the moment of birth (and in caring for the child) in the formation of the mother-child relationship and the development of maternal competence. The vulnerability and crisis-like nature of these early phases for physical and mental health make the perinatal period susceptible to trauma, which is why it is important to be aware of all the factors that can contribute to perinatal trauma and those that can protect against it. In particular, I will describe how the experience of pleasure or pain during childbirth and caregiving can reactivate traumatic memories in women who have a history of childhood abuse, thus possibly becoming a factor in the transmission of trauma or, conversely, in its treatment and transformation.

The full text is available in German.