How to deal with the past? How collective and historical trauma psychologically reverberates in Eastern Europe

Abstract

Traumatic stress studies have recently addressed the issue of ‘historical trauma’ that well explain the impact of collective or totalitarian trauma. The example of former communist Eastern Europe shows that there are many individual and socio-psychological consequences that still have effects today. This paper summarizes concepts and findings on ‘historical traumas’ that describe such long-lasting effects. The focus is on the side of the victims and their family descendants and thus also on the moral heirs of the dissidents, e.g., the Russian NGO Memorial. Analogous to developments in psychotraumatology, increasing knowledge in this area can explain psychosocial pathologies but also help develop effective remedies. This includes the development of a culture of remembrance, socio-therapeutic interventions and increased sensitivity towards those patients and clients who have such a personal legacy.

In the shadow of dissidence: exploring the experiences of descendants of Czechoslovakian dissidents

“…Furthermore, these themes highlight the complexities of identity formation, and the challenges of navigating historical legacies with the interplay between personal narratives and collective memory. This study is among the few that focus on exploring the long-term consequences of historical totalitarian trauma in Eastern and Central Europe, where “up to four generations have lived since these haunting events” ( Maercker, 2023 , 03).…”