New Opportunities for Therapy in the Age of Trump, by William J. Doherty, Ph.D.
"The boundary between the personal and public has ruptured in the age of Trump" [B]efore Trump, we therapists who felt comfortable in the mainstream of a democratic society could assume that our therapist 'hat' and our citizen 'hat' were separate." (p. 207) " "[T]o truly fulfill the potential of our professional role in a democracy, we have to be active outside our offices. I feel passionately that we're healers with something important to offer our neighbors and communities. Here's a short definition of the concept of the citizen therapist: A citizen therapist works with people in the office and the community on coping productively with public stress and becoming active agents of their personal and civic lives. Citizen-therapist work is not separate from the traditional practice of psychological and interpersonal healing - it's integrated with it." (p. 215)
Trauma, Time, Truth, and Trump: How a President Freezes Healing and Promotes Crisis, by Betty P. Teng, M.F.A., L.M.S.W.
"Looking through the lens of trauma treatment, it is of particular concern that we find ourselves in a perfect storm where we have, as our U.S. president, a narcissist fixed on broadcasting his own unilateral and inconsistent versions of reality in a climate driven by Internet media channels that produce information so quickly that they privilege falsehoods over truth. It is a tenet of trauma therapy to validate our patients' truths." (p. 229) " "Thus, it is traumatizing to have, in the White House, a president and an administration intent on confounding 'full communication by manipulating the truth to serve their own ends." (p. 230) "In trauma therapy, we see the corrosive long-term effects upon the human spirit when an individual's truth and reality are denied, particularly when those individuals grapple with traumas that take away their sense of subjectivity and self-efficacy. In his constant attempts to redefine the truth against the wrongdoings he has enacted, Donald Trump behaves like an aggressive perpetrator who fundamentally has no respect for the rights and subjectivities of those in American society who disagree with him. He shows this through his insistence on overpowering and shaming individuals who will not bend to his opinion or his will. From my stance as a trauma therapist, it is heartbreaking to see the damage Donald Trump is wreaking upon American society. It is a perpetration, creating deep wounds from which, I fear, it will already take us years to heal." (p. 231).
Trump Anxiety Disorder: The Trump Effect on the Mental Health of Half the Nation and Special Populations, by Jennifer Contarino Panning, Psy.D.
"Symptoms associated with Trump anxiety disorder include: feeling a loss of control; helplessness ruminations/worries, especially about the uncertain sociopolitical climate while Trump is in office; and a tendency toward excessive social media consumption. In fact, the polarization that this has created has caused a deep divide between families and friends of differing political beliefs. Trump's specific personality characteristics, and his use of psychological manipulation tools such as gaslighting, lying, and blaming, are described as contributing factors to Trump anxiety disorder." (p. 237)
In Relationship with an Abusive President, by Harper West, M.A., L.L.P.
"A fundamental problem with a Trump presidency is not merely that his poorly thought-out policies may harm us. It is that his character defects will normalize immoral Other-blaming behaviors and encourage their full expression among those who may have previously been held in check by expectations of socially acceptable behavior. If the recent uptick in racial violence is an indicator, Trump has given his followers a green light to act out. Just as the trauma of witnessing domestic violence damages children, an emotionally immature president can affect the future of our nation regarding moral behavior, cultural stability, and psychological wellness.
Other-blamers can be restrained only by prompt, calm boundary setting and enforcement of moral and social norms. Without these influences, Other-blamers grow in boldness and their presumption of power. Other-blamers will take as much ground as they can get.
We must resist, not only to contain Trump 's behaviors, but also to signal to his followers that abusive behavior is not appropriate. Unfortunately, now that millions of Other-blamers have been encouraged by Trump to misbehave, it may be impossible to get that genie back in the bottle." (p. 256-7)
Birtherism and the Deployment of the Trumpian Mind-set, by Luba Kessler, M.D.
"It remains our challenge to right the political, civic, and interpersonal relations needed for the mutual benefit of the present and future American generations: white, black, and any Other. In order to rise to the challenge, we need the courage of truth and awareness. We need to question rationalized public policies that maintain segregation and inequality; be it at the voting booth or in judicial or police protection. We need to tune into and question habits of prejudice and bigotry. We need to probe better the stereotypes of our culture and of ourselves. Such an examination will inoculate our civic consciousness against the lies masquerading as truth. We will choose worthy leaders aware of their responsibility to represent the integrity of this nation's essential values. Birtherism shows Donald Trump not only as unworthy but as dangerous to the nation's central tenet: E pluribus unum. It is not negotiable." (p. 266)
Trump's Daddy Issues: A Toxic Mix for America, by Steve Wruble, M.D.
"As I observe President Trump's behavior, I imagine that there is a good chance he identifies with his father's aggressive business style and parenting, and is now employing that orientation to his role as president. In psychology, this is called identification with the aggressor. At first, it may appear counter-intuitive to identify with an aggressor who has abused his position of power to take advantage. However, our brains often use this early relationship as a template to shape our future behaviors. We are attracted to the power we witness from our powerless position. We can be hungry for the same power that we originally resented or even fought against." (p. 273)
Trump and the American Collective Psyche, by Thomas Singer, M.D.
"[O]ne of the most disturbing thoughts about the Trump presidency is that he has taken up residence not just in the White House but in the psyches of each and every one of us. We are going to have to live with him rattling around inside us, all of us at the mercy of his impulsive and bullying whims, as he lashes out at whatever gets under his skin in the moment with uniformed, inflammatory barbs." (p. 294)
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