The Legacy of trauma in the narratives of Lithuanian women survivors of the 1941 Soviet deportations to Siberia

ENThis dissertation includes an in-depth qualitative inquiry into the legacy of Stalinist deportations to Siberian labor camps that occurred in 1941. Lengthy psychodynamic interviews were conducted with Lithuanian women survivors to deepen understanding of psychic trauma, preserve memory for future generations, and illuminate the remnants of traumatic memories that potentially signify intergenerational transmission. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to analyze the interviews with a particular focus on the psychological process of narrativization and content of the testimonies. The manifestations of unspeakable suffering, survival, and adaptation were evaluated in light of the psychoanalytic literature and sociocultural context. As cross-border displacement continues to be a prevalent issue in today's world, the insights from this study might help inform our understanding of resiliency as well as longterm social and psychological impacts of such circumstances.