Spring Conference 2021: Unlocking the Mystery of the Family Emotional History - Audio
This set of audio files includes the following presentations:
Day 1 Moderator: Anne McKnight
Welcome and Introduction
No One Gets There Without It: Family Research and Differentiation of Self – Victoria Harrison, MA, LMFT
Victoria Harrison’s focus for her presentation is on the importance of family research for one’s own personal work and also for clinical practice – for psychotherapy based in Bowen theory. We are all children of parents who are reacting to family and family history in how they raised us. Knowing more about that history can be life-changing and life-saving, in some situations. Ms. Harrison will present examples from her own family work that illustrate the importance of genealogical research as well as talking to older members of the family about the history that she grew up not knowing.
The Unified Theory of Bowen Theory – Stanley Proffitt
In the development of Bowen theory, Dr. Murray Bowen described the challenge of conceptualizing the theory as a “unified theory.” This presentation offers a view of the mutually influential, inter-relatedness of each concept in the theory to all other concepts.
Discussion
The Origins, Motivations, and Influence of Genealogy: An Examination of the Development of Family History as Pastime and Profession – Ryan J. Woods
Who engages in family history research and why? In this presentation, Ryan J. Woods will examine the history of studying family history in America. In an illustrated presentation, he will explore the framework under which genealogical pursuits have evolved, including the social, economic, and political motivations and implications of family history research and the impacts on sense of self and identity.
Questions and Discussion
The Trauma of Slavery and the African American Family – Mignonette N. Keller, PhD
Dr. Mignonette Keller has completed extensive genealogical work on her family, dating back to enslaved ancestors spanning six generations, which provides an awareness and a heightened understanding of the resilience among family members. The history of her enslaved ancestors, like that of many other untold stories of Black families, reflect not only their ability to survive the trauma of slavery but to thrive as a people in an oppressive society.
An Emotional Workout: What It Takes to Broaden One Family’s Emotional Response – Carrie E. Collier, PhD, LPC, CRC
Dr. Carrie Collier’s engagement in family research afforded her the opportunity to observe physiological and emotional markers in self or an emotional awareness of self. The examination of four generations of parents and sibling variation in degrees of impairment and functioning demonstrates evidence to support Bowen’s construct of shared anxiety and the family as one emotional unit. This has led her to a family systems way of thinking so that she can see how and when to interrupt old emotional patterns that might play out in the present.
Discussion
Discovering an Alternate Reality—When Family Facts Change - Daniel V. Papero, PhD, LCSW-C, LICSW
It has become fashionable for people to explore their ancestry by submitting DNA samples for analysis. Occasionally the results are surprising. This talk will review the impact of receiving unexpected information from DNA test results, and its effects on the understanding of one's family history.
Discussion
Day 2 Moderator: Carrie Collier
Taking One for the Team: Mother Nature, Family Emotional Process and Chronic Illness – Eileen Gottlieb, MEd, LMFT
The most important and interesting question for this presenter related to the family emotional system is who, and under what conditions and circumstances, is most vulnerable to a chronic illness? This presentation will attempt to examine carefully and closely the role of family emotional process as it is understood in Bowen theory in observable, repeatable, verifiable facts about how one family member becomes chronically ill.
The Journey of a Lifetime: Stories, Roadblocks, and Surprises – Cynthia Devoe, MBA
In researching her family history, Ms. Devoe has encountered the many ways in which Bowen theory and genealogy intersect, and has come to believe that Bowen theory is the bridge between family stories and genealogical facts. The stories we tell ourselves are important, as is understanding that they originated for a purpose. Her presentation will explore how significant events in her family prior to her birth carried down through the generations.
Differentiation and Family History – Joan Jurkowski, MS, LCPC
Joan Jurkowski’s effort to learn about family history was prompted by her hope that it would help her mature and improve relationships. This long-term effort began with obtaining facts about her family from people she knew. Later, she went to historical records to locate and meet family she didn’t know. In this presentation, Joan will talk about the value she found in her research, which was motivated by a desire to increase her level of differentiation of self, a concept in Bowen theory which refers to the ability to be more of a “self” in relationships.
Discussion
Generational Impact: A Survey of Observations, Patterns, and Legacies in Published Family Histories – Ryan J. Woods
As a publisher of genealogical books and articles since 1847, AmericanAncestors/NEHGS has published thousands of family histories that examine families in genealogical, historical, and social contexts for 6-12 generations. In this presentation, Mr. Woods will present a survey of recently published family histories and observations of trends and patterns in family structures, mobility, occupations, and service.
Discussion
Interview between Kathleen Wiseman, MBA and Ryan Woods
A Family History Reboot: A Year of Deep Research – Anne S. McKnight, EdD, LCSW, LICSW
About a year ago, Dr. McKnight began a research project sorting through and organizing four trunks and about 10 boxes worth of family letters, photos, reels of film, and other artifacts of family history. What she discovered was an amazing opportunity to hear what her ancestors had to say in their own words, which yielded a deeper and more complex history than she had been able to uncover through connecting in person. Several examples will be given of the shifts in the presenter's understanding while conducting her research.
Discussion
Impact of Disruption over the Generations – Priscilla J. Friesen, LICSW
In this presentation, Ms. Friesen will 1) frame emotional experience in the facts of the nuclear family, 2) describe the emotional history on both her maternal and paternal lines related to disruptions and early deaths, and 3) highlight the impact of the study on her family and her personal functioning.
The Family System: A Source of Despair as Well as Joy – Kerstin Sofia Andersson, BSc
Ms. Andersson will recount a period of hard times that struck her ancestors during the 1800s in Sweden and how a lack of food, contagious disease, and the deaths of multiple children greatly increased the stress and anxiety in members of the nuclear family who survived. By following the emotional process over several generations up to the present time, she will provide examples of how family as an emotional system can balance high chronic pressure.
Discussion