Healing Hephaestus: Overcoming the shame-rage cycle of abuse

Atkins, B. S. (1998). Healing Hephaestus: Overcoming the shame-rage cycle of abuse. (Doctoral dissertation, Pacifica Graduate Institute, 1998). UMI no. 9962482

This dissertation attempts to delineate a clearer understanding of the relationship between early narcissistic wounding, shame, and the primitive rage responses found in individuals involved in intimate partner abuse, many of whom as infants and young children either witnessed domestic violence or were physically abused, or both. The study demonstrates how the therapeutic use of empathy can increase self-esteem and reduce the dependence on compensatory dysfunctional abusive behavior. This study uses myth as a legitimate method of investigation and as a research tool that can inform clinical theory and practice when working with perpetrators of spousal abuse. The method involved both a hermeneutic and phenomenological approach, incorporating a depth psychological perspective, and explored not only the cognitive but also the emotional or affective dimension of psyche. Both Jungian and self-psychology frameworks were utilized in order to understand more clearly and emphasize the impact of empathy as a transformative element in adult life. The myth of Hephaestus was incorporated as an extended metaphor for an archetypal, interpersonal, and intrapersonal understanding of early narcissistic wounding. Hephaestus' healing and restoration were possible only through empathic and nurturing experiences, which released him from the bondage of humiliation, low self-esteem, and narcissistic rage. The case study included depicts the story of an individual who was both witness to domestic abuse as a child and a perpetrator of spousal abuse as an adult. The treatment focused on the use of compassion and empathic responsiveness to help overcome the effects of early childhood trauma, which contribute to the wound of shame, a major source of narcissistic rage. As demonstrated both in the myth and case study, Hephaestus and the client were left crippled and incomplete, narcissistically injured, and psychologically groomed to perpetuate the shame-rage cycle of abuse. Through their respective corrective empathic, nurturing, and soothing selfobjects, they were able to meet with the disowned repressed positive side of the masculine, incorporate the feminine, and thereby confirm a cohesive self, bolster self-esteem, and develop a more harmonious self-structure, allowing the journey of further growth and individuation to continue, releasing them from the shame-rage cycle of abuse