Vera Muller-Paisner

Residence : Stamford., Connecticut

Biographical information

Vera Muller-Paisner was born a few years after WWII in Brussels, Belgium. Her mother was from Kracow, Poland and her father was from Lvov. Both were Holocaust survivors who had suffered the loss of spouses and children. The family moved to the United States in the 1950’s where Vera was later educated as a psychoanalyst. In 1989 she founded and led a support group for second generation children of Holocaust Survivors at Jewish Family Service in Stamford, Connecticut. In June 96-97 She held an appointment in the Department of Psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine, in New Haven, Connecticut. While there she was coordinator for an international retreat : “Coming Home from Trauma: The Next Generation. Muteness and the Search for a Voice” as well as Research Consultant for The International Study Group for Trauma, Violence and Genocide.

In 1998, with a grant from the Righteous Persons Foundation, and in kind contributions from The Ronald S. Lauder Foundation, she started support groups in Warsaw, Poland for people who discovered that they are not Gentiles, but in fact, Jews. The stories of discovery were so heartrending and moving that they became the basis for the book, Broken Chain: Catholics Uncover the Holocaust's Hidden Legacy and Discover Their Jewish Roots, which invites every reader to ponder their own family background and identity.

Ms. Muller-Paisner writes and continues her work regarding secondary traumatization, in her private practice in Stamford, Ct. where she lives with her husband. Both son and step-daughter are young adults and on their own. Ms. Paisner has knowledge of several languages including French and Polish . She enjoys ballroom dancing with her husband and is an avid equestrian.

Discussion topics

• If you are not who you thought you were, who are you?
  The discovery of a family secret, particularly about religious identity, creates a painful struggle and journey to reframe and reconstruct personal narrative, identity and self acceptance. Family ties, history and tradition become confused. It can happen to anyone. It has happened to a United States presidential candidate and a Secretary of State.
  
• The Chronicity and Transmission of Trauma
  The study of trauma across generations is applicable to individuals globally. The experience of knowing and not knowing family history are presented in a way that guides the audience to explore their own narrative.

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