Neglect
I detect a pattern in psychotherapy that sees abuse as the be-all and end-all of diagnosis. Find a good bit of abuse in your client's past and you've "solved the case" and found the cause of all their problems. Help them work through the memories using your favourite technique and all will be well - healing is assured. Except when it isn't. I'm not denying that for many people, healing the wounds of past traumas can be beneficial. I have helped many a troubled client in this way. But it doesn't always work. Sometimes, even after draining the barrel of traumatic memories to the dregs, the longed for resolution doesn't occur, and the unwanted problems remain. And I have a theory about that. For abuse to take place in the family, there often has to be neglect too. Someone isn't noticing the child's distress, anger or behavioural changes. And neglect is so much harder to pin down. There are no clear cut memories of trauma. It is more like ...