“Black holes” as a collective defence against shared fears of annihilation in a small therapy group and in its contextual society

This chapter discusses the “black hole” as a collective or social defence against extremely painful shared anxieties. It examines the phenomenon of a collective black hole in the dynamic matrix of a small therapy group, in the context of the foundation matrix of the wider contextual society in which the group was embedded. Whether in an individual person or in a social system, the black hole develops in order to protect against feelings of shame, guilt, and annihilation anxiety. Black holes also exist in larger, more complex social systems, such as organisations and societies. Together with their collective terror, they also re-enact their shared defence mechanisms, such as their collective black holes. Black holes, as a collective defence mechanism against extremely painful shared anxieties, also exist in the community, and in society at a national level. This can be illustrated by the way the state of Israel deals with the “Nakba”.