Depth psychology and acute trauma

Authors

  • Greg Mahr Wayne State University
  • David Moore Michigan State University
  • Christopher Drake Michigan State University
  • Anthony Reffi

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29173/jjs253s

Keywords:

post-traumatic stress, acute trauma, nightmares

Abstract

The authors discuss the psychological impact of acute trauma from the perspective of depth psychology, based on their extensive clinical work with acute trauma patients.  Quantitative and qualitative data are described, as well as case examples. Post traumatic growth and the archetypal aspects of trauma are discussed. Nightmares as a means of processing trauma are explored. Depth psychology can be an important component in the psychological management of acute trauma.

Author Biographies

David Moore, Michigan State University

Dr. David A. Moore is a Senior Staff Clinical Health Psychologist at Henry Ford Hospital, in the Department of Surgery, Division of Acute Care Surgery, and the Department of Psychiatry as well as the Chair of the Henry Ford Hospital Ethics Committee.  He has extensive clinical and research experience in academic medical centers across the US, including three Level I trauma centers.  Dr. Moore has served in leadership roles at all stages of training with a deep interest in facilitating the integration of psychology programs into medical settings and providing education to community and professional audiences. In addition to his psychological training, Dr. Moore completed a clinical fellowship at the Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia.

 

Christopher Drake, Michigan State University

Christopher Drake PhD is a clinical psychologist and sleep researcher. He authored over 200 scientific publications and is a section editor for The Principles and Practice of Sleep Medicine. He received research grants from the National Institutes of Health and is a former Chairman of the National Sleep Foundation. His scientific interests include insomnia, shift work and lucid dreaming. He co-authored The Wisdom of Dreams: Science, synchronicity and the language of the soul with Greg Mahr MD.

 

Anthony Reffi

Anthony N. Reffi, PhD, is a clinical psychologist with expertise in trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He is a researcher at the Thomas Roth Sleep Disorders and Research Center in Michigan, as well as the Henry Ford Acute Trauma Recovery Center, and has received a NIH grant to study trauma.

'Freud’s Rorschach', by Patricia Bukur.

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Published

2025-06-12

Issue

Vol. 20 No. 1 (2025): JOURNAL OF JUNGIAN SCHOLARLY STUDIES

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Greg Mahr, David Moore, Christopher Drake, Anthony Reffi

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

The Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License applies to all works published by Journal of Jungian Scholarly Studies. Authors will retain copyright of the work.