Constructed as a psychoanalytic diary, the authors of this book reflect on clinical observations from their work with patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, tracking these singular experiences to arrive at broader understanding of the psychological characteristics of collective trauma.

Based on the theoretical framework of their previous book, which focuses on the transgenerational, psychological effects of large-scale social-historical traumas and introduced new concepts such as the “Transgenerational Atmosphere,” the authors here explore the trauma itself, especially those deep traumas which affect a large group of people or even the whole of humanity, including pandemics, natural disasters, terrorism, and war. In this volume, the authors progress toward the potential immediate and long-term psychological effects of such trauma, including the possibility of the activation of unprocessed transgenerational traumatic experiences, but also the potential for growth.