Presentation Announcement by Ruth Lijtmaer (USA)

Lijtmaer, R. (2024). “Strangers in their own land: Where is a safe place to go?” International Psychohistory Association (IPA), May 31 to June 2, online.

This paper was presented in response to the conference theme, Hopes and Fears for Our Polarized World: Psychohistorical Perspectives. Tragically, in the recent wars in Ukraine and now Israel/Palestine, people have been forced to flee their homes due to extreme, catastrophic conditions resulting from violence and human rights violations. They are displaced to unknown places where there is no comfort, and basic necessities are not met. Seeing family members dying, women raped, and children orphaned creates a desperation and lack of trust in governments as well as lack of faith in the future. The impact of these multiple losses (loss of home, family, community, culture, and social networks) is a traumatic experience. There is a reactivation of prior traumas, an apres-coup in the context of these current threats.

Ruth Lijtmaer, Ph.D., ABPP
Ridgewood, New Jersey, USA
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