The Case for Bearing Psychic Pain as Social and Clinical Action

Abstract While humans are hardwired to avoid pain and seek good feelings, it has become imperative to override this proclivity in order to properly address the socio-cultural atrocities which are at the heart of the crumbling of American society. This paper delineates the psychosocial reasons why people avoid psychic pain, the multitude of bastions available which enable, aid and abet this shielding, as well as negative consequences of these systemic dynamics. The case for bearing and holding psychic pain and suffering is made with regard to positive personal consequences and social justice dialectical reverberations. The many ways in which the therapist or analyst hold power and privilege within the dyad is reviewed. Bearing sociocultural pain in the therapist’s own transference and countertransference is reviewed and linked to clinical illustrations. Implications for socio-cultural and therapeutic repair are delineated.