How can we better understand the forces behind today’s crises, from the rise in mental health disorders to climate change and the war in Ukraine? In this thought-provoking book, Ansgar Rougemont-Bücking guides readers through insights from neuroscience to explore what may be going wrong on both an individual and societal level.
His central idea is that modern society exists in a state similar to a collective Stockholm syndrome or structural traumatic dissociation. Dissociation — the psychological process of disconnection or fragmentation — can occur when overwhelming experiences break a person’s connection to themselves and the outside world. According to the book, these traumas are shaped by a combination of personal, generational, cultural, political, and economic influences.
Using powerful metaphors, including the image of the “vampire” as a symbol of inner division, loss of identity, and endless consumption, the author argues that many of these destructive patterns exist within all of us. Yet by recognizing these tendencies and confronting our deeper needs, we may become capable of healing and moving toward a more sustainable and conscious future.
