The devastating effects of domestic violence

Annual Congress and Medicare Expo on Trauma & Critical Care

March 07-09, 2016 Madrid, Spain

Claudia M Elsig

Calda Clinic, Switzerland

Keynote: J Trauma Treat

Abstract :

Domestic violence covers a broad spectrum of physical and psychological abuse. In this presentation, the referee focuses on psychological violence in relationships and families, as psychological and sexual abuse usually are the dominating topics at trauma congresses. Psychological violence unfortunately still does not receive adequate attention; the publicity work is rather modest. Often it takes many years until those affected realise the vortex of verbal manipulation they were drawn into. Humiliations, insults and accusations paired with control, lies and threats aim to destroy the integrity and identity of the victim. The perpetrator creates psychological and materialistic dependencies. It can take just as long to liberate oneself from the entanglement of the violence spiral. Manifold symptoms can be the effects: chronic traumatising, depressions, fears, addiction. The focus of this presentation is on therapeutic possibilities for those affected. However, the various types of narcissist personality disorders are presented shortly. Furthermore, the social-cultural dimension is included, the helplessness of authorities, courts, lawyers in case of divorce or separation. In this way, the attrition can continue on a legal level for a long time. It is therefore not sufficient to make this phenomenon known only amongst therapists and counselling centres. On a socio-political level still many changes have to take place in order to ensure sufficient protection for those affected and their children

Biography :

Claudia Elsig has more than 20 years of experience in the area of psychiatric and psychotherapeutic medicine. She studied at the medical faculty of the Zurich University and after this completed an extensive and deepened training in various evidence-based psychotherapeutic methods. She specialised on psycho-traumatology. Out of a deep interest for the effects of psychological and physical traumas like post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, eating disorders, the whish in her grew to help those people individually, holistic and sustaining. On the way to a multi-specialist, she looked for the best mentors in Europe for behavioural therapy, hypnosis and EMDR. She passed through training in genetics and genetic consultation with the focus on addiction, depression and anxiety disorders and discovered the fascination of epigenetics. For years, she managed the special consultation for clinical hypnosis at a private clinic in Zurich. During the past years as a Medical Director and Manager of the Psychiatry Department in an international practice she deepened her knowledge on multiple types of addiction and their effects. In 2004, she founded the Calda AG and developed an individual integrative treatment concept for psychological diseases. Currently, she is the manager of the Calda Clinic for in-patient clients at Lake Zurich and an outpatient, psychiatric-psychotherapeutic practice in Zollikon. Furthermore, she is a demanded referee and trainer.