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Historical Trauma & Its Impact: Armenian Genocide
http://asbarez.com/102753/historical-trauma-its-impact-armenian-genocide/
Friday, May 4th, 2012
Soseh Esmaeli
BY SOSEH ESMAEILI
>From the horrors of the Armenian Genocide to the tragedies that
occurred during the Holocaust and are currently taking place in
Darfur, genocide continues to play role in human history. These acts
of injustice not only cause death and destruction but also create
generations of survivors who were traumatized and who passed down
their legacies.
PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder) is one example of what can occur
after being exposed to a traumatic event such as the genocide. The
symptoms for this disorder include nightmares, constant fear and
worry, hyper-alertness to his/her surroundings, and even flashbacks of
the trauma. After a traumatic event individuals can also experience
depression and anxiety. They can even develop specific ways to deal
with the painful memories like avoidance of the subject, increased
attempt to maintain order and success within their lives, catastrophic
views of the outside world, detachment of emotions, and increased
closeness with family members or cultural groups.
The survivors of trauma such as the Armenian Genocide may have passed
down memories of loss, struggle, horror, and strength through songs,
story telling, and with commemorative ceremonies. The retelling and
transferring of stories about the genocide from generation to
generation is a way to help process and heal from the cruelty and
injustice they had experienced. This can promote identity formation,
close-knit familial groups, and a sense of unity within the culture.
Behaviors and even symptoms of trauma can be passed down from
generation to generation as parts of familial or cultural ways of
living or seeing the world.
Denial of trauma can feel like a dismissal of the survivors'
experience, can perpetuate a feeling of helplessness, and even impact
the process of mourning. Remembering, processing, and understanding
traumatic events such as a genocide can play an important role in a
collective processing of cultural groups who have experienced such
events.
Until next time,
Soseh Esmaeili, PsyD, #PSB63123. James S. Graves, PhD, PsyD, #
PSY18196, Clinical Supervisor, www.drjimgraves.com
http://asbarez.com/102753/historical-trauma-its-impact-armenian-genocide/
Friday, May 4th, 2012
Soseh Esmaeli
BY SOSEH ESMAEILI
>From the horrors of the Armenian Genocide to the tragedies that
occurred during the Holocaust and are currently taking place in
Darfur, genocide continues to play role in human history. These acts
of injustice not only cause death and destruction but also create
generations of survivors who were traumatized and who passed down
their legacies.
PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder) is one example of what can occur
after being exposed to a traumatic event such as the genocide. The
symptoms for this disorder include nightmares, constant fear and
worry, hyper-alertness to his/her surroundings, and even flashbacks of
the trauma. After a traumatic event individuals can also experience
depression and anxiety. They can even develop specific ways to deal
with the painful memories like avoidance of the subject, increased
attempt to maintain order and success within their lives, catastrophic
views of the outside world, detachment of emotions, and increased
closeness with family members or cultural groups.
The survivors of trauma such as the Armenian Genocide may have passed
down memories of loss, struggle, horror, and strength through songs,
story telling, and with commemorative ceremonies. The retelling and
transferring of stories about the genocide from generation to
generation is a way to help process and heal from the cruelty and
injustice they had experienced. This can promote identity formation,
close-knit familial groups, and a sense of unity within the culture.
Behaviors and even symptoms of trauma can be passed down from
generation to generation as parts of familial or cultural ways of
living or seeing the world.
Denial of trauma can feel like a dismissal of the survivors'
experience, can perpetuate a feeling of helplessness, and even impact
the process of mourning. Remembering, processing, and understanding
traumatic events such as a genocide can play an important role in a
collective processing of cultural groups who have experienced such
events.
Until next time,
Soseh Esmaeili, PsyD, #PSB63123. James S. Graves, PhD, PsyD, #
PSY18196, Clinical Supervisor, www.drjimgraves.com