Daniel Shaw, LCSW, is a psychoanalyst in private practice in New York City and in Nyack, New York. Originally trained as an actor at Northwestern University and with the renowned teacher Uta Hagen in New York City, Shaw later worked as a missionary for an Indian guru. His eventual recognition of cultic aspects of this organization led him to become an outspoken activist in support of individuals and families traumatically abused in cults. Simultaneous with leaving this group, Shaw began his training in the mental health profession, becoming a faculty member and supervisor at The National Institute for the Psychotherapies in New York. He has published papers in Psychoanalytic Inquiry, Contemporary Psychoanalysis, and Psychoanalytic Dialogues. In 2014 his book, Traumatic Narcissism: Relational Systems of Subjugation, was published for the Relational Perspectives Series by Routledge, and was nominated for the distinguished Gradiva Award. In 2018, the International Cultic Studies Association awarded him the Margaret Thaler Singer Award for advancing the understanding of coercive persuasion and undue influence.
"Daniel Shaw was taken by surprise when his first book, Traumatic
Narcissism, struck a nerve not only with fellow psychotherapists,
but also with the lay public. Shaw had put his finger on a source
of relational trauma as profoundly destructive as it is common and
poorly understood. Pathologically narcissistic people, when they
are needed attachment figures, such as parents or leaders, cause
untold suffering, often without perpetrating any sort of physical
abuse. In this book, Shaw continues this important exploration—and
this time the breadth of interest the book will arouse will come as
no surprise." - Donnel B. Stern, Ph.D., William Alanson White
Institute and NYU Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and
Psychoanalysis."Of all of the psychoanalytic commentators on
narcissism in the past two decades, surely the most important is
Daniel Shaw. It is not just that Shaw writes passionately and
insightfully about narcissism, especially in its malignant and
traumatic aspects, because of his own personal experiences as the
survivor of a religious cult. It is also that he understands that
narcissism is, paradoxically, a deeply relational concept, not
possible without the participation of others. In this articulate,
compassionate, and honest contribution, Shaw ranges from the micro
to the macro, from the clinical situation to society in its current
crisis, from the personal to the political, as he delineates the
complexity of narcissistic dynamics and phenomena, both in
individual lives and in society as a whole." - John Auerbach, PhD,
Department of Psychiatry, University of Florida"Daniel Shaw
established himself as a leading psychoanalytic thinker with
Traumatic Narcissism. The wise and compassionate essays in this
book deepen his meditations on the concept of relational trauma
from clinical, theoretical, personal, political, and spiritual
perspectives. He gives us the loving companionship we need to
sustain us on our therapeutic quests and to be able to answer
Hamlet’s question, ‘To be or not to be?’ in the affirmative."
—Peter L. Rudnytsky, PhD, University of Florida & Chicago
Psychoanalytic Institute; author of Formulated Experiences: Hidden
Realities and Emergent Meanings from Shakespeare to Fromm."This
book is a brilliant continuation of Shaw’s work on traumatic
narcissism. Clinically sophisticated and with a fresh theoretical
stance, it bravely examines the wounds of early relational trauma
and their profound impact on one’s life. Adding to his scope new
ideas on cults, authoritarianism, spirituality and faith, Shaw
delicately portrays the complexity of love and hate, longing and
aggression, giving and receiving, life and death-- as each presents
itself in and outside of the therapeutic relationship. This volume
offers a soulful understanding of painful journeys toward healing."
- Galit Atlas, PhD, NYU Postdoctoral Program for Psychotherapy and
Psychoanalysis. Author of The Enigma of Desire."Writing in an
experience-near and trauma-informed language, Daniel Shaw has
crafted a penetrating and compassionate look inside the mind of the
traumatizing narcissist and the surrounding relational field. The
reader is taken on a passionately written journey with perspectives
that span intrapsychic, interpersonal, and social psychological,
including an exploration of the toxic narcissism that has taken up
residence at the highest levels of government. Immediately
accessible, and broad in its reach, Shaw woos the reader with
uncommon sense in a no-holds-barred effort to free us from the
eventual strangulation of free will and dignity by the narcissist's
unerring, amoral tentacles. Brilliant in its conception, and
incisive in the exploration of case material with a quintessential
two-person psychology, Shaw provides a humanistic feast of ideas.
Join him at the table, and savor the meal." - Richard A. Chefetz,
M.D., author of Intensive Psychotherapy for Persistent Dissociative
Processes: The Fear of Feeling Real"In his 2014 Traumatic
Narcissism, Daniel Shaw described the cult leader who dominates by
"coercive persuasion" and the effects on those who follow. Here he
tangles with the relational demons, especially shame, internalized
by all of us who have fallen under the leader’s spell, convincing
us that we are trash, only fit to serve them. He gives new meaning
to speaking the unspeakable in a humanistic psychoanalysis,
offering hope and dignity through debunking the narcissistic
dominator, taking relational psychoanalysis to its depths and
horrors. This work is priceless." – Donna Orange, author of
Psychoanalysis, History and Radical Ethics: Learning to Hear"In Dan
Shaw’s first book, Traumatic Narcissism: Relational Systems of
Subjugation, he gave to the mental health field the inimitable term
"traumatic narcissism," new, usable, helpful, easily graspable,
action oriented, and accurately descriptive--much more specific
than "perpetrator" and "victim." The term created a new vista for
understanding such a pervasive, ineluctable, but often hard to
describe problem.Following his highly acclaimed first book, this
new contribution does not disappoint. Here Shaw returns to the
themes of relational systems of traumatizing narcissists in cults,
parenting, social movements, religion, politics, and psychopathic
leaders. He writes more about what he has found healing in
psychotherapy, addressing complex questions such as dissociated
aggression in traumatized clients, the ever-eroding impact of
shame, the internalization of relational systems of subjugation
within the traumatized person, the importance of self-reflection,
the complicated issue of spirituality, and finally, self-alienation
and the will to live.As a writer, Shaw manifests the values he
advocates to his clients: he is, himself, self-reflective, highly
personal, and communicatively self-revealing, as he discusses how
he has worked with challenging cases. He writes from the heart, yet
from a broad source of theoretical knowledge. Not surprisingly, he
possesses the knack for a pithy phrase.This highly accessible and
highly engaging book is appropriate for both clinicians and
non-professional readers who are interested in how relational
dynamics of subjugation are corrosively enacted in families, on the
world stage, and within the psyche of the traumatized individual. I
recommend it highly." - Elizabeth Howell, Ph.D. Author: The
Dissociative Mind; Understanding and Treating Dissociative Identity
Disorder: A Relational Approach; "Dan Shaw’s understanding of
relational trauma permeates the collection of his writings
contained in this excellent book. How he communicates the inner
experience of his patients can transform any therapist’s ability to
attune to traumatized individuals." - Janina Fisher, assistant
educational director, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute, author
of Healing the Fragmented Selves of Trauma Survivors and
Transforming the Living Legacy of Trauma.
'Daniel Shaw was taken by surprise when his first book, Traumatic
Narcissism, struck a nerve not only with fellow psychotherapists,
but also with the lay public. Shaw had put his finger on a source
of relational trauma as profoundly destructive as it is common and
poorly understood. Pathologically narcissistic people, when they
are needed attachment figures, such as parents or leaders, cause
untold suffering, often without perpetrating any sort of physical
abuse. In this book, Shaw continues this important exploration—and
this time the breadth of interest the book will arouse will come as
no surprise.'Donnel B. Stern, Ph.D., William Alanson White
Institute and NYU Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and
Psychoanalysis'Of all of the psychoanalytic commentators on
narcissism in the past two decades, surely the most important is
Daniel Shaw. It is not just that Shaw writes passionately and
insightfully about narcissism, especially in its malignant and
traumatic aspects, because of his own personal experiences as the
survivor of a religious cult. It is also that he understands that
narcissism is, paradoxically, a deeply relational concept, not
possible without the participation of others. In this articulate,
compassionate, and honest contribution, Shaw ranges from the micro
to the macro, from the clinical situation to society in its current
crisis, from the personal to the political, as he delineates the
complexity of narcissistic dynamics and phenomena, both in
individual lives and in society as a whole.'John Auerbach, Ph.D.,
Department of Psychiatry, University of Florida'Daniel Shaw
established himself as a leading psychoanalytic thinker with
Traumatic Narcissism. The wise and compassionate essays in this
book deepen his meditations on the concept of relational trauma
from clinical, theoretical, personal, political, and spiritual
perspectives. He gives us the loving companionship we need to
sustain us on our therapeutic quests and to be able to answer
Hamlet’s question, "To be or not to be?" in the affirmative.' Peter
L. Rudnytsky, Ph.D., University of Florida & Chicago Psychoanalytic
Institute; author of Formulated Experiences: Hidden Realities and
Emergent Meanings from Shakespeare to Fromm'This book is a
brilliant continuation of Shaw’s work on traumatic narcissism.
Clinically sophisticated and with a fresh theoretical stance, it
bravely examines the wounds of early relational trauma and their
profound impact on one’s life. Adding to his scope new ideas on
cults, authoritarianism, spirituality and faith, Shaw delicately
portrays the complexity of love and hate, longing and aggression,
giving and receiving, life and death—as each presents itself in and
outside of the therapeutic relationship. This volume offers a
soulful understanding of painful journeys toward healing.' Galit
Atlas, Ph.D., NYU Postdoctoral Program for Psychotherapy and
Psychoanalysis. Author of The Enigma of Desire 'Writing in an
experience-near and trauma-informed language, Daniel Shaw has
crafted a penetrating and compassionate look inside the mind of the
traumatizing narcissist and the surrounding relational field. The
reader is taken on a passionately written journey with perspectives
that span intrapsychic, interpersonal, and social psychological,
including an exploration of the toxic narcissism that has taken up
residence at the highest levels of government. Immediately
accessible, and broad in its reach, Shaw woos the reader with
uncommon sense in a no-holds-barred effort to free us from the
eventual strangulation of free will and dignity by the narcissist's
unerring, amoral tentacles. Brilliant in its conception, and
incisive in the exploration of case material with a quintessential
two-person psychology, Shaw provides a humanistic feast of ideas.
Join him at the table, and savor the meal.' Richard A. Chefetz,
M.D., author of Intensive Psychotherapy for Persistent Dissociative
Processes: The Fear of Feeling Real'In his 2014 Traumatic
Narcissism, Daniel Shaw described the cult leader who dominates by
"coercive persuasion" and the effects on those who follow. Here he
tangles with the relational demons, especially shame, internalized
by all of us who have fallen under the leader’s spell, convincing
us that we are trash, only fit to serve them. He gives new meaning
to speaking the unspeakable in a humanistic psychoanalysis,
offering hope and dignity through debunking the narcissistic
dominator, taking relational psychoanalysis to its depths and
horrors. This work is priceless.' Donna Orange, author of
Psychoanalysis, History and Radical Ethics: Learning to Hear'In Dan
Shaw’s first book, Traumatic Narcissism: Relational Systems of
Subjugation, he gave to the mental health field the inimitable term
"traumatic narcissism," new, usable, helpful, easily graspable,
action oriented, and accurately descriptive—much more specific than
"perpetrator" and "victim." The term created a new vista for
understanding such a pervasive, ineluctable, but often hard to
describe problem.Following his highly acclaimed first book, this
new contribution does not disappoint. Here Shaw returns to the
themes of relational systems of traumatizing narcissists in cults,
parenting, social movements, religion, politics, and psychopathic
leaders. He writes more about what he has found healing in
psychotherapy, addressing complex questions such as dissociated
aggression in traumatized clients, the ever-eroding impact of
shame, the internalization of relational systems of subjugation
within the traumatized person, the importance of self-reflection,
the complicated issue of spirituality, and finally, self-alienation
and the will to live.As a writer, Shaw manifests the values he
advocates to his clients: he is, himself, self-reflective, highly
personal, and communicatively self-revealing, as he discusses how
he has worked with challenging cases. He writes from the heart, yet
from a broad source of theoretical knowledge. Not surprisingly, he
possesses the knack for a pithy phrase.This highly accessible and
highly engaging book is appropriate for both clinicians and
non-professional readers who are interested in how relational
dynamics of subjugation are corrosively enacted in families, on the
world stage, and within the psyche of the traumatized individual. I
recommend it highly.'Elizabeth Howell, Ph.D., Author: The
Dissociative Mind; Understanding and Treating Dissociative Identity
Disorder: A Relational Approach 'Dan Shaw’s understanding of
relational trauma permeates the collection of his writings
contained in this excellent book. How he communicates the inner
experience of his patients can transform any therapist’s ability to
attune to traumatized individuals.' Janina Fisher, assistant
educational director, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute, author
of Healing the Fragmented Selves of Trauma Survivors and
Transforming the Living Legacy of Trauma'The book is divided into
eight chapters, in which the theme of trauma prevails in diverse
ways and the author provides many clinical examples from his
extensive work in this area - from people in the throes of a
narccissitc leader's persuasive and manipulative tactics, which
result in the disassociated dependency of those submitting to it,
to the traumatising narcissistic parent... In all of these examples
of abuse, the painful search for autonomy is the focus.'Debra
Kuppersmith is a psychoanalyst, clinical social worker, and
educator. She is on the editorial board of The Psychoanalytic
Review, Editor-in-Chief of the AAPCSW on-line monograph, and a
training and supervising psychoanalyst at NPAP. This extract is
taken from her review of Shaw's book, contained within the Winter
2022 edition of The Clinician, the newsletter of the New York State
Society for Clinical Social Work (Routledge).'... Shaw effectively
breaks down the "othering" that can keep us from full recognition
of the shame and fear that can linger in the bodies, minds, and
hearts of abuse survivors. He shares his contagiously empathic
vision of what it can be like to endure imprisoning
relationships... Shaw [is] ... testifying to the possibility of not
merely surviving imprisonment but, eventually, emerging with the
dignity and determination to lead a renewed life.'Sandra Buechler,
William Alanson White Institute of Psychiatry Psychoanalysis and
Psychology. To read this review in full please see the following:
Sandra Buechler (2022): Review of Traumatic Narcissism and
Recovery: Leaving the Prison of Shame and Fear, Psychoanalysis,
Self and Context, DOI: 10.1080/24720038.2021.2019259. 'One of the
things I admire most about this book is Shaw's devotion to openness
and transparency. Shaw greatly values transparency in his clinical
work, and his writing style is straightforward, personal and
totally accessible. He writes with admirable openness about the
trajectory of his own life as well. When he describes his clinical
work, he spells out clearly why he works with patients in the ways
that he does. He obviously prizes openness, and conveys integrity
by saying what he means and meaning what he says.'Peter Shabad,
Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, IL. To read this
review in full please see the following: Peter Shabad (2022) From
Shame to Human Agency and Responsibility: A Review of Traumatic
Narcissism and Recovery: Leaving the Prison of Shame and Fear By
Daniel Shaw, Psychoanalytic Perspectives, 19:3, 395-401, DOI:
10.1080/1551806X.2022.2097533
![]() |
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
![]() |