Twin Conference, 12-21.12 December 2022, contribution by Barbara Jakel

Interview, Elke Brenner

“Therapeutic Work with the Surviving Twin” Summary

Surviving twins often unconsciously seek out therapists who deal with prenatal and birth trauma. They are looking for a part of themselves - the lost twin - in a period of time that, surprisingly, is still barely considered in conventional psychotherapy. Perceptions in the prenatal time and bonding space differ from those after birth. They are implicitly stored in the procedural memory very early on, at subcortical levels. In order to access this storage, special approaches based on clinical work are required. The prenatal space does not only include the mother's uterus. The entire maternal organism, including all intergenerational storage and the current existential situation of the pregnant woman, and above all her unconscious psyche, have an enormous formative influence on the development of the human being from the beginning of their existence. Life begins in the cell, which is its prototype, a microcosm full of information. It very often begins in pairs, even with multiple "accompaniments". This time spent together with another being can last for different lengths, from days to weeks or even months. The loss of the twin then becomes one of the most formative traumas of the prenatal period. What remains of it can have a decisive influence on the surviving twin, both negatively and positively. Since the memory of this loss is "forgotten", the implicit storage remains effective. It causes symptoms in the bonding behavior, in the body, in the psyche, in the soul. The surviving twin usually goes on an unconscious search for a missing being.