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Alice Miller Has Died

I am sad to read in today's Guardian that Alice Miller has died.  Miller was the author of books that explored and explained the traumas of childhood and children, in ways that took their side against "toxic" parents.  As a poet whose early work explored child abuse, and the traumas of infancy and youth - and as a person who was in psychoanalysis for seven years in my twenties - I can only say that Miller's influential quarrel with Freud was significant.  However, some of her claims and extreme positions were themselves traumatic.  It will be important to sort out her legacy, now that she is gone.
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Angela France said…
Thanks for this, Todd - I hadn't heard.
As someone who works with challenging/vulnerable young people, I have used her theory of the 'enlightened witness' as my guiding principle for years.
Wed Jun 02, 09:44:00 pm 2010
Linda Black said…
I missed this, so thanks for the info - her work has had quite an impact on me.
Fri Jun 11, 08:01:00 pm 2010
Anonymous said…
I'd not realised this - somehow you think those who have influenced you as continuing as long as their echo - but now recognise Miller over-identified with victims and did us no favours: in a real sense she spoke over our voices
Ron Moule
Mon May 30, 05:12:00 pm 2011
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