Trauma in Context: Integrating Biological, Clinical, and Cultural Perspectives

Lemelson, Robert; Kirmayer, Laurence J.; Barad, Mark

doi:10.1017/cbo9780511500008.027

Cited by 20 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 16 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Compared to the number of epidemiological studies of PTSD, there is a dearth of studies of these local conceptual frameworks influencing diagnosis and treatment psychological trauma in non-Western settings (Lemelson, et al 2007). Such studies are not trivial.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nepali Concepts of Psychological Trauma: The Role of Idioms of Distress, Ethnopsychology and Ethnophysiology in Alleviating Suffering and Preventing Stigma

Kohrt

Hruschka

2010

Cult Med Psychiatry

208

222

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In the aftermath of a decade-long Maoist civil war in Nepal and the recent relocation of thousands of Bhutanese refugees from Nepal to Western countries, there has been rapid growth of mental health and psychosocial support programs, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment, for Nepalis and ethnic Nepali Bhutanese. This medical anthropology study describes the process of identifying Nepali idioms of distress and local ethnopsychology and ethnophysiology models that promote effective communication about psychological trauma in a manner that minimizes stigma for service users. Psychological trauma is shown to be a multi-faceted concept that has no single linguistic corollary in the Nepali study population. Respondents articulated different categories of psychological trauma idioms in relation to impact upon the heart-mind, brain-mind, body, spirit, and social status, with differences in perceived types of traumatic events, symptom sets, emotion clusters, and vulnerability. Trauma survivors felt blamed for experiencing negative events, which were seen as karma transmitting past life sins or family member sins into personal loss. Some families were reluctant to seek care for psychological trauma because of the stigma of revealing this bad karma. In addition, idioms related to brain-mind dysfunction contributed to stigma while heart-mind distress was a socially acceptable reason for seeking treatment. Different categories of trauma idioms support the need for multidisciplinary treatment with multiple points of service entry.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nepali Concepts of Psychological Trauma: The Role of Idioms of Distress, Ethnopsychology and Ethnophysiology in Alleviating Suffering and Preventing Stigma

Kohrt

Hruschka

2010

Cult Med Psychiatry

208

222

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…'s observation that for those who endure abusive contexts “there is layer upon layer of acute response to constantly changing threats” (Lemelson et al. , 464). Interestingly for my purposes, the novel also depicts multiple ways of responding to these threats based on the characters’ capacity for resilience or lack thereof.…”

Section: Ragtime As a Case Study: Thematic Levelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards a Theoretical Approach to the Literature of Resilience

Miguel

2018

Orbis Litterarum

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Recent scientific evidence suggests that, despite the pervasive influence of the disease paradigm, healthy reactions to trauma are the norm. Resilience is part of our DNA, since it accounts for our success to survive and thrive in adverse conditions during evolutionary times. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that the theme of survival in extreme adversity has run through countless literary texts. Yet, discussions of resilience have tended to be shunned from the literary theorization of trauma. Given fiction's outstanding capacity to incorporate notions from diverse disciplines, it is not far‐fetched to talk about fictional narratives of resilience. This article takes up E. L. Doctorow's Ragtime (1975) as a case study to test the hypothesis that literary texts may be profitably discussed from the perspective of resilience. In order to do so, it draws both on recent psychological theories of resilience and on the psychoanalytical concept of sublimation to provide some answers about the nature of Ragtime's alternative approach to trauma response. Its main aim is to explore how resilience as a cultural notion may manifest itself at both a thematic and a formal level in literary texts. The ultimate goal is to argue for the existence of what may be termed “resilience narratives.”

show abstract

“…For example, after the Kuta Beach bombing in Bali, aid workers administered PTSD symptom checklists to local people, but many of them were more concerned about the impact of the collapse of tourism on their livelihood or were more troubled by the unspoken burden of prior trauma associated with the massacres across Indonesia that occurred in 1965 (Dwyer & Santikarma, 2007). In the case of the 1965 massacres and the aftermath, a politically imposed collective silence left perpetrators and victims living side by side for 40 years with no opportunities for restitution or resolution (Lemelson, Kirmayer, & Barad, 2007). The aid workers had little interest in this history (when 80,000-100,000 Balinese were killed).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Endurance is to be shown at the first blow: Social representations and reactions to traumatic experiences in the Gaza Strip.

Afana¹,

Pedersen²,

Rønsbo³

et al. 2010

Traumatology

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Research and clinical practice in the field of trauma has emphasized the construct of posttraumatic stress disorder. However, trauma has broader meanings that reflect its impact on the fabric of social life and that may be relevant to clinical understanding and intervention. This article illustrates the larger meanings of trauma with data from a pilot study designed to investigate the social representations of trauma and ways in which trauma is defined (i.e., meanings assigned to trauma) among Palestinians living in protracted conflict situations in the Gaza Strip. Ethnographic interviews conducted with key informants living in the Gaza Strip suggest that social representations and meaning of trauma can be classified into three main types according to the level and nature of the symptoms associated with the experience, severity, patterns of resort to treatment, and long-term effects: sadma (trauma as a sudden blow with immediate impact), faji’ah (tragedy), and musiba (calamity). Sadma is used metaphorically to refer to painful events that happen suddenly. Faji’ah is used to describe the reaction to an extraordinary event, mainly the loss of a loved one. Musiba is used when traumatic events are persistent and have long-term consequences. Popular descriptions and relationships among these terms and their meanings and relationships to common idioms of distress are illustrated. Examining cultural variations in the understanding and expression of trauma-related distress has implications for the definition of trauma-related disorders in psychiatric nosology, as well as for the design and delivery of culturally appropriate clinical and community interventions.

show abstract

Trauma in Context: Integrating Biological, Clinical, and Cultural Perspectives

Cited by 20 publications

References 16 publications

Nepali Concepts of Psychological Trauma: The Role of Idioms of Distress, Ethnopsychology and Ethnophysiology in Alleviating Suffering and Preventing Stigma

Nepali Concepts of Psychological Trauma: The Role of Idioms of Distress, Ethnopsychology and Ethnophysiology in Alleviating Suffering and Preventing Stigma

Towards a Theoretical Approach to the Literature of Resilience

Endurance is to be shown at the first blow: Social representations and reactions to traumatic experiences in the Gaza Strip.

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About