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War, here and now in one’s own country, becomes an all-encompassing experience for both the individual and society. The experience of the self, the coherence of self, and social connections take on heightened forms.
War amplifies and, at the same time, obscures the perception of both reality and subjectivity. Stressful events significantly influence the interplay and affective coloring of our various dissociated parts of self.
Ukraine has become the victim of an unjust and brutal attack by a state possessing nuclear weapons. At the same time, Ukraine has mounted a dignified, years-long resistance against the aggressor. The threat to an entire nation’s existence and prolonged personal danger coexists with pride, resistance, and hope – both on a social and personal level. The complexity of reconciling such experiences undoubtedly contributes to heightened internal psychic conflict and dissociations. On the other hand, contemporary Ukrainians are increasingly able to draw parallels between military and political events and better comprehend their paradoxical states – their helplessness and agency – as being more interconnected than they once seemed.
Can we determine whether some suffer more in this war than others? Can we think in such terms at all? Although good and evil have become more sharply defined for Ukrainians, the range of experiences among individuals is markedly diverse. This diversity exists not only between different people, families, and groups of Ukrainians but also within the experiences of a single individual, which can become extreme. At the same time, we observe how this very process of “splitting the world” into black and white, into a realm of safety and a realm of threat, into enemies and allies, fosters both division and unity among people – thanks, in part, to dissociation. This phenomenon extends to the dynamics between patient and therapist, intensifying both connection and separation.
I will illustrate these reflections with three vignettes. Eac