Like many other societies that have dealt with the question of how to achieve closure of a past of oppression while simultaneously working toward national reconstruction and reconciliation, South Africa turned to the concept of a truth commission. Public testimony constitutes the central mechanism in the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) process. Through the use of social constructionism as a broad framework in which the testimony method may be located, this descriptive study examines various narratives to uncover understandings of healing and the modes of healing invoked by both victims and those facilitating the healing process. Two data sources were used: testimony transcripts from public hearings of the TRC and transcripts from interviews with key players in the process. Thematic analysis revealed that there are multiple understandings of healing but overall, the narratives affirmed the therapeutic value of the testimony method. The central issue under discussion in the article is the connectedness between individual healing and national reconciliation.The South African Government of National Unity (GNU), elected into office in April 1994 after a 4-year period of negotiations, faced the tricky question of how to confront the wrongs of the past while simultaneously building a shared nationhood. Wilson (1995) argued that truth commissions have become one of the main mechanisms by which transitional governments seek to create legitimacy for state institutions still tainted by the legacy of the past. Indeed, it was to the concept of a truth commission that South Africa turned in pursuit of national reconciliation, unity, and peace. This article briefly describes the South African Truth and Requests for reprints should be sent to Cheryl de

No abstract