Institute for Transgenerational Trauma Transfer Research

Ongoing Research Projects

Mental Health and Relocation: Coping Strategies for Hungarian Expats in Austria

Funding body: OMAA, Osztrák-Magyar Tudományos és Oktatási Kooperációs Akcióprogram
Funding amount: €15 000
Project duration: 12 months
Project lead: The Institute for Transgenerational Trauma Transfer Research, Sigmund Freud Private University (Contact: erzsebet.toth@sfu.ac.at)
Project team: Sigmund Freud Private University (AT), Hungarian research partners: Dr. Viola sallay, Dr. Tamás Martos

• Project Description (PDF)

Finished Research Projects

• Arriving in the City | Final Conference Report (PDF, in English)
• Arts-based Trauma Research | video workshop for teenagers
• Learning for Peace | Project report (PDF, DE-EN)

#outofthebox – New Workshop Series by the Institute for Transgenerational Trauma Transfer Research at SFU Vienna

In 2023, our institute has launched a new workshop series #outofthebox, which aims at becoming a critical lab for interdisciplinary topics at the boundaries of psychology, psychotherapy, law, media, literature, art and the world of tech developers. The basic idea on which this initiative is based on is that thinking and acting #outofthebox is a creative ability that is essential for facing the challenges and providing creative responses to the future. In our workshops, the participants have the opportunity to come into contact and work with well-known personalities from various fields of interest while thinking and acting #outofthebox. Join us for free in preparing for the future!

1st #outofthebox workshop – „Fear Bravely“ with Hesna Al Ghaoui
13th October 2023 | 10:00 – 12:30 | SFU Vienna, Freudplatz 1, room 1001

Hesna Al Ghaoui is a lawyer, war correspondent, fear-specialist and author of three books on trauma and emotions: „On the Land of Wars“ (about her experiences as a war correspondent), „Fear Bravely“ (about how to transform fear into fuel in our everyday life), and „Holli, the Hero“ (a children’s book, also about transforming fear into positive energy).

Learn more: Workshop – Fear Bravely

2nd #outofthebox workshop – Developing Attunement through the Experience of JOY and facing our Traumas
20th November 2023 | 10 am – 1 pm | SFU Vienna, Freudplatz 3, Room 104

The workshop was led by Dr Virág Suhajda, person-centered therapist, metamorphosis folk tale therapist and psychodynamic dance and movement therapist. Dr Suhajda has been leading groups on similar topics for thirty years – for a long time as head of the Rogers Foundation for Person-Centered Education. In Austria, she works for the Gesellschaft für Sozialforschung und Bildung.

Learn more: Workshop – Developing Attunement

3rd #outofthebox workshop – Exploring Identity Through Filmmaking with Klára Trencsényi, DLA
9th March 2024 | 10 am – 2 pm | SFU Vienna, Freudplatz 3, Room 104

On March 9th, 2024, the Institute for Transgenerational Trauma Transfer Research (TTTR) at SFU’s Faculty of Psychotherapy Science, launched another round of its pioneering arts-based participatory filmmaking #outofthebox workshop. Led by the head of the TTTR Institute, Erzsébet Fanni Tóth and documentary filmmaker Klára Trencsényi, the initiative offers teenagers with migratory backgrounds an opportunity to develop video production, editing, and interviewing skills.

Learn more: Workshop – Exploring Identity Through Film

4th #outofthebox workshop – Experience mapping | Exploring the healing power of places in health and transgenerational trauma
24th April 2024, 10 am – 1 pm | SFU Vienna, Freudplatz 3, Room 318

Speakers: Prof. Dr. Tamás Martos (clinical health psychologist, professor at the University of Szeged) and Dr. Habil. Viola Sallay (family therapist and Assistant professor at the University of Szeged)

Workshop Summary (PDF)
Learn more: Workshop – Experience Mapping

5th #outofthebox workshop – LGBTIQ+ Minority Stress as a Relational Trauma through the Lenses of Gestalt-Integrative Therapy
17th June 2024, 2 pm – 5 pm | SFU Vienna, Freudplatz 3, Lecture room 318

Speaker: univ. spec. Iva Žegura, clin. psych., mag. psych. 

The interactive workshop offered participants a profound experiential insight into the challenges faced by LGBTIQ+ individuals. Through gestalt-integrative approaches, Žegura explored how minority stress and relational trauma impact identity formation and mental health. 

Learn more: Workshop – LGBTIQ+ Minority Stress

6th #outofthebox workshop – “The Educator’s Experience at Memorial Sites – Psychological Aspects, Challenges and Difficulties”
18th November 2024, 3 PM – 5:30 PM | SFU Vienna, Freudplatz 1, Lecture room 2004

Speaker: Joanna Brusik, MA

This workshop addresses the unique emotional and psychological challenges that educators face while working at memorial sites. Through a combination of theoretical insights and practical discussions, participants will gain a deeper understanding of the complexities involved in conveying difficult historical content to diverse audiences.

Learn more: Workshop – The Educator’s Experience at Memorial Sites

7th #outofthebox workshop – “Movement Shadow in Diagnostics & Intervention: Use of Movement in Therapeutic Work with Trauma”
23rd January 2025, 10 AM – 12:30 PM | SFU Vienna, Freudplatz 1, lecture room 3011, free of charge

Speaker: Dr. Zuzana Vasičáková Očenášová

Learn more: Workshop – Movement Shadow in Diagnostics & Intervention

The head of the Institute for Transgenerational Trauma Transfer Research (TTTR), Erzsébet Fanni Tóth, organised a workshop at the Pedagogical Conference „Life is a Game – Adventure-based Conference (not only) for Teachers” in Komárom on 17 November 2022 on how to encourage children to explore their family’s past in the classroom.

Learn more in the programme description.

The Institute for Transgenerational Trauma Transfer Research (TTTR) participated in the Conference for Youth and Child Psychotherapy of the Pázmány Péter Catholic University in Budapest on April 1, 2023 by transferring methodological knowledge for the legitimation of the psychotherapy science. 

Learn more in the abstracts & programme description (PDF).

On June 18 2024, Dr. Kamila Midor from the Institute for Transgenerational Trauma Transfer Research (TTTR) participated in the Interdisciplinary Góral Conference “In Search for Identity” held at the Ignatianum University in Kraków. She talked about the impact of cultural belongingness to the Żywiec Góral people and the use of the Żywiec dialect in addition to standard Polish on the translator’s work, presenting examples from her own experience.

Learn more in the programme description / conference photos

The international FemCities Conference took place from 26th – 27th Sept. 2024 at SFU’s Faculty of Psychotherapy Science under the motto “Mental Health or Mental Load?” 

Conference Review
Learn more (PDF)

European Psychotherapy Research Conference (SPR), 12-14 Sept. 2024, Brno, Czech Republic

Moving Beyond the Textbook: A New Era in Psychotherapy Education

Conference Review
Learn more (PDF)

On Sept. 9-10, 2024, the Faculty of Central European Studies at Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra hosted the 7th International Conference on Transculturalism and Bilingualism.

Learn more (PDF)

From 9th-11th Oct. 2024, four members of SFU’s Trauma Institute had the honour of participating in the interdisciplinary Marginalities Conference 2024, organised by the research group “Margini. Spazi, potere, canone/Margins. Spaces, Power, Canon” and held in Rome, Italy.

Learn more (PDF)

On October 23-24, Kamila Midor participated in the 2024 APS Global Psychological Science Summit online organized by the Association for Psychological Science. Midor presented a poster on „Bereaved Americans Talking about Grief After Suicide: Examples, Metaphors, and Why It Matters“, which was one of only two posters (out of more than 300) marked as a study conducted from the linguistic perspective. 

Summit Summary (PDF)
Conference programme (PDF) / Overview Posters (PDF)

Kamila Midor had a great privilege to participate in the first International Academic Conference on Universities and Cultural Routes that took place on Nov. 13-14, 2024 in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. It was organized by the European Institute of Cultural Routes and the Compostela Group of Universities. 

Learn more (PDF) / Picture Gallery

The Hungarian National Museum (Budapest) was the venue for a very special book presentation on February 26, 2024. The more than 600-page anthology “Magyar menyasszony” [Hungarian Bride] deals with the transformation of the concept of marriage in Hungary in the last 500 years.

The Institute for Transgenerational Trauma Transfer Research (TTTR) contributed to this analytical work with the paper “Deportált menyasszony” [Deported Bride] by Erzsébet Fanni Tóth, which analyzes the complex effects of transgenerational trauma caused by marriages obstructed through deportation during the WW2 and which was presented at the event by the head of our Institute.

Learn more about the topic in the summary of the book.

Lange Nacht der Forschung 2024

On May 24^th 2024, a research event was held hosting families and students at the Sigmund Freud Private University. The aim of the Institute of Transgenerational Trauma Transfer Research was to introduce guests to psychotherapy in fun and exciting ways with games and prizes suitable for all ages.

For the children there was a treasure hunt, which took them around the university’s medical building in search of famous figures in psychotherapeutic history. They were given a map with pictures of some of the foundational figures of psychotherapy including Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Melanie Klein, Karen Horney, Victor Frank, Anna Freud and Alfred Adler. Along with the map, children received sheets with a brief Introduction to the characters.
For the teens and adults, a quiz and game was designed in the style of the gameshow “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” with multiple choice questions pertaining to research and theories in psychotherapy. The game could be played both individually, by answering questions on posters throughout the room, as well as interactively, through the setup that was created in the centre of the room to mimic the original gameshow.

We consider the event to have been a huge success! All of our guests left enriched with some newfound knowledge, as well as a prize and a smile on their face. We were delighted to see the enthusiastic participation from children and adults alike and we were glad to show our more sceptical guests that research can be fun too!

written by Gina Hargitay (MA student, Psychotherapy Science) and Anna Pisoni (Erasmus trainee)

From Sept. 2022 to August 2023, Klára Trencsényi, a filmmaking student from the Hungarian University of Theatre and Film Arts SZFE, participated in the Erasmus+ Mobility Traineeship at SFU Vienna. Her practice-based research focussed on the transmission of collective memory through her documentary, “The Missing Tale (2022).” Together with her mentor Dr. Erzsébet Fanni Tóth (SFU), she researched how Hungarian teenagers in Austria perceive their family histories amidst post-Covid restrictions and Vienna’s integration policies.

My name is Nadin Kranicz-Jona, I am 14 years old and attend the Flora Fries educational campus in 1150 Vienna. It was a pleasure to do my internship with Dr. Erzsébet Fanni Tóth at SFU Vienna in September 2023. I have learned many new things, e.g. by doing research on Sophie Scholl, Anne Frank and Eva Heyman, reading & summarising an interesting book, and drafting a list of interview questions that will be used in the third-funded project “Arriving in the City“. Thank you!

I’m Anna Pisoni, 23 years old, and I recently graduated in sociology from the University of Bicocca in Milan. I’m attending the Erasmus+ Mobility Traineeship at the Institute for Transgenerational Transmission of Trauma Research at Sigmund Freud Private University. I have a passion for travelling, and before pursuing further studies, I wanted to do research on stimulating topics. Luckily, I got the opportunity to conduct research in Vienna. I believe it’s a lovely city. I’ve just did one day of work and I’m already enthusiastic as I participate in the workshop ‘Exploring the healing power of places in health and Transgenerational Trauma’.

My name is Lara Lik, I´m from Budapest, Hungary. I`ve completed my Bachelor`s and Master`s degree of Psychology at ELTE in Budapest, specialising in Clinical Psychology for adults. My scope of practice mainly consisted of clinical work and diagnostics at psychiatries in Budapest, I have a one year clinical experience in such practices. In addition, I’ve attended a method specific training in Family Therapy where I’ve gained valuable experiences in theory and applied practice. I also attended an Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) course in March 2024 to broaden my scope of practice and learn new skills. I`m dedicated to helping people by working together with them but also very open and interested in other methods and varieties of psychological work.

Currently a range of BA, MA and doctoral theses on transgenerational trauma is written by our students. Below you find more info on a few selected ones: 

Manuel Kolanowitsch | BA Thesis on “Transgenerational stress disorders in grandchildren and great-grandchildren from World War II soldier families”

“My name is Manuel Kolanowitsch, I am 24 years old. I have been studying Psychotherapy at the Sigmund Freud University since 2020. I live and work in Austria. I am currently working on my bachelor thesis: it´s about Transgenerational stress disorders in grandchildren and great-grandchildren from World War II soldier families. This thesis is especially exciting because more and more people stumble over the topic of transgenerational disorders, and so, more people discover that they may have a transgenerational stress disorder. I think this will be a topic that will be more developed over the next years.”

Mag. Denis Mekolle | Doctoral Thesis

Denis Mekolle is a doctoral student in psychotherapy sciences at Sigmund Freud University Vienna and works under the supervision of Dr Toth. He studied psychology and educational sciences at Dschang University and the University of Yaoundé 1 in Cameroon. He also holds a master’s degree in psychotherapy sciences from Sigmund Freud University. Denis is interested in psychological trauma in the cultural context of interpersonal trauma recovery. In Cameroon’s ongoing conflict between nonstate armed groups and the regular army, he is working on the reintegration of former fighters, internally displaced persons (IDPs), women, and children exposed to traumatic events.

He is currently on a field trip in Cameroon, to meet with ex-combatants and discuss their lived experiences at their cantonment camps in the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration DDR Center in Buea, Southwest Region, in order to provide valuable resources for helping conflict-related trauma victims recreate stories that produce happy and vibrant relationships in post-conflict societies.

7th Annual Conference of the Memory Studies Association
3 – 7 July 2023, Newcastle University

30th Anniversary Conference of the Kek Vonal Foundation
15th November 2023, Budapest, address by Erzsébet Fanni Tóth
Read more (PDF)

Pictures: Kék Vonal Gyermekkrízis Alapítvány | Facebook

“Exploring Home and Alienation – Conversations on Children’s Literature, Trauma and Identity”
16th November 2023, University in Nitra, Slovakia, guest lecture by Erzsébet Fanni Tóth
Read more (PDF)

Workshop “Modes of Expression. Testimonies, Metaphors, and Music”
21st November 2023, Sigmund Freud Museum

Holocaust Literature and Ego Documents Conference (PDF)
11th & 12th December 2023, Centre for Jewish Studies, University of Graz

In December 2023, Agnes Szekely participated at the international Holocaust Literature and Ego Documents Conference at Graz University and talked about the findings of the “Learning for Peace” research project.

Unspoken memories: exploring the senses of ethnic Hungarian deportations in post-WWII Czechoslovakia
21st October 2024, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno

Ass.-Prof. Dr. Erzsébet Fanni Tóth, erzsebet.toth@sfu.ac.at

Erzsébet Fanni Tóth is Vice Dean International Affairs at the Faculty of Psychotherapy Science, Director of the Institute for Transgenerational Trauma Transfer Research, and Lecturer in research methods and university didactics in the International Programme at SFU Vienna. 

Dr. Kamila Midor, kamila.midor@sfu.ac.at

Kamila Midor is a polyglot scholar, linguist, and a professional translator who has lived and studied in Poland, United States, Spain, and Austria. Author of a PhD dissertation on differences in conceptualization of loss and grief as expressed by Americans and Poles. She has done research at the intersection of cognitive linguistics, psychology, and culture studies. BA in Spanish Studies, BA in English Studies, MA in Translation Studies and Intercultural Communication, and PhD in Linguistics. Visiting student researcher at the University of California in Berkeley in 2015/2016.

Institute for Transgenerational Trauma Transfer Research
Faculty of Psychotherapy Science
Sigmund Freud Private University
Freudplatz 1, 1020 Vienna
transgentraumaresearch@sfu.ac.at