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The following abstracts are edited versions of English summaries which appeared in Forum and are published with the permission of the journal.
By means of an interpretation of the myth of Medusa, some of the processes connected with violence are clarified. Sexual and aggressive violence destroys the inner dialogue and the interpersonal emotional relatedness of the victims. It elicits three phenomena, which are, with reference to trauma research, interpreted
as mechanisms of defense: deanimation, mixed affect arousal, and desym- bolization. These effects of violence can be summed up in a syndrome of “non- relatedness,” i.e., an inability to engage in emotional interchange and dialogue. A solution for this “Medusa Complex,” as it might be called, is suggested in the myth. Perseus can bring Medusa's horrifying petrification to an end by using “mirror” and “sword.” That means that the psychoanalyst working in this field has to accept the reality of trauma (symbolized in the myth by the mirror); he/she has to use the neutralizing effects of reflection and must show firm nonacceptance of the deteriorated emotional and interpersonal relations (symbolized in the myth by the sword); only then can the analyst help the victims of violence. The violating effects and dangers of these processes are seen not only as phenomena of professional countertransference but, above all, as affecting the psychoanalyst in his/her personal experience. The emotional implications are discussed.