The Cultural Perspectives On Psychological Trauma In Sri Lanka
By Ruwan M Jayatunge -September 4, 2012
Dr. Ruwan M Jayatunge
A nation’s culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people. - Mahathma Gandhi
The Sri Lankan society experienced 30 year prolonged armed conflict and the 2004 Tsunami that changed the psychological landscape of the Islanders. A large number people underwent the detrimental repercussions of these manmade and natural disasters. The victims exhibited various types of trauma reactions. These traumatic reactions were unique and expressed it in different psychosomatic channels. Some victims used traditional healing methods and the cultural components to ease the suffering. The Western experts who came to treat the psychological victims of the War and 2004 Tsunami in Sri Lanka noticed the cultural traditions symbols, narratives that had been used to treat the victims.
The Cross-cultural studies indicate that human expression of grief is strongly linked with culture. Psychological reactions to death, disability and material losses differ from culture to culture beyond biological level. Every culture has its own way of dealing with mourning and grief. The relationship between trauma and culture is significant. Because traumatic experiences are part of the life cycle, universal in manifestation and occurrence, and typically demand a response from culture in terms of healing, treatment, interventions, counseling, and medical care (The Lens of Culture: Theoretical, and Conceptual Perspectives, in the Assessment of Psychological, Trauma and PTSD, John P. Wilson).Cultural differences can also be found in the beliefs about how people use healing methods. Many Sri Lankans for instance, hold that repeatedly talking about distressing experiences is a sign of weakness. When they talk about the dead, they often talk good things rather than bad things about the deceased. The dead are respected and commemorated. People killed following violent traumatic circumstances are viewed with compassion.
Natural and manmade disasters experienced by the Sri Lankans over the past two millennia had been documented in the historical chronicles. Combat trauma is in Western culture the experience was described some 2 500 years ago in the Iliad and the Odyssey, which can be read as accounts of combat trauma and its sequelae (Shay, 1995, 2002) whereas the effects of combat trauma in Sri Lanka is discussed in the ancient chronicle -the Mahavamsa that was written in the 6th Century A.D., by Ven. Mahanama. Therefore, the concept of psychological trauma was not new to Sri Lankans. The religion and culture provided great resilience to cope with trauma.
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