Splits in the Soul

Professor Dr Franz Ruppert, is Professor of Psychology at the University of Applied Sciences in Munich, Germany. He gained his PhD in Work and Organisational Psychology at the Technical University of Munich in 1985.Since 1995 he has specialised in psychotherapeutic work, with a particular focus on the aetiology of severe mental disorders. This has led him to an in depth study of attachment processes and trauma and the resulting impact of early traumatisation on the infant. His publications include: Verwirrte Seelen (2002, Kosel, Munich), (Confused Souls, not available in English), followed by four books translated from German into English: Trauma, Bonding & Family Constellations: Understanding and Healing Injuries of the Soul (2008), Splits in the Soul: Integrating Traumatic Experiences (2011), Symbiosis & Autonomy: Symbiotic Trauma and Love Beyond Entanglements (2012), Trauma, Fear and Love; How the Constellation of the Intention Supports Healthy Autonomy (2014) all published in English by Green Balloon Publishing, Steyning, UK.Ruppert teaches in Germany and many other countries including Brazil, Canada, Britain, Ireland, Italy, Russia, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Turkey and Spain, furthering his insights into the deeper transgenerational effects of trauma in different cultures, and researching the methodology of constellations as a means of better understanding the effects and healing of trauma.

This is the second book by Professor Franz Ruppert in English translation and continues his exploration of the impact of trauma across generations. Here he deepens his understanding of the process and function of psychological splitting as a natural response to traumatic events, exploring in detail the results such survival strategies have on the traumatised person and those with whom they are in close contact. His contention is that it is only by understanding in detail the processes involved, and developing an ability to recognise trauma, survival strategies and the healthy aspects of our clients, that we can successfully work with trauma as a personal experience and as an inheritance from our family system.There are detailed examples of case studies illustrating the process of the disintegration of the survival psychological structure and the subsequent integration of the fragmentation.In addition Ruppert gives a very useful account of his thinking about the methodology of Constellations as a means of achieving understanding and integration.