The Coalition for Work with Psychotrauma and Peace

A Profile of Trauma

For a version of this section in Microsoft Word, click here.

The CWWPP estimates that somewhere between 5% and 15% of the population of the region in which we work, depending on the specific area concerned, has been in prisons, concentration camps or prisoner of war camps and thus has been physically mistreated in some way. This rate is even higher among the refugee population.

However, nearly everyone in the CWWPP's area of work has psychological consequences of the events of the war and the post-war period. Among the most traumatized were the soldiers who, as Dr. Charles David Tauber of the CWWPP puts it, "have seen and done things that no human being should ever see or do." Many have come back from the front emotionally and physically decimated to lives that are in ruins. They are no longer in a state to work or even to have a normal relationship with their own families or friends. Ultimately, a large proportion attempt suicide (the leader of one group of veterans estimated that 80% of his members had made at least one suicide attempt), and violence within the family is very frequent.

Furthermore, all refugees have been traumatized to some degree. They have lost their homes, relatives, friends, jobs, photographs and possessions – their entire way of life and their stability of life.  Almost always, their very identity is shaken. This is particularly difficult for those from mixed families, which makes up a high percentage of the population in the area in which the CWWPP works.

In the post-war economy of the area, about 40% of the population is out of work, with little promise of economic improvement. (In the Borovo shoe factory near Vukovar, over 22000 people were employed before the war. Now, around 1200 work there.) This factor, combined with displacement, further erodes the emotional foundation of all affected individuals.

Children and youth and the elderly are particularly unable to protect themselves from the effects of trauma, and the trauma experienced by adults is transmitted to the next generation.  For a summary of the problems of children and youth, see our paper written for the Conference of the Medical Network for the Social Reconstruction of the Former Yugoslavia, 2001.

The Effects of Psychotrauma

One of the clients of the CWWPP witnessed the murder of his mother and two colleagues, and he was then put in prison and beaten daily by his captors, members of another ethnicity. The effects of this kind of experience, compounded by subsequent displacement, are devastating. The CWWPP identifies a number of consequences of such trauma, among which are depression, anxiety, lack of concentration, high anger levels, problems in interpersonal relations, high levels of addiction to alcohol and (prescription) drugs, suicide, domestic violence, and increased levels of physical disease.

Usually, traumatized people carry on with life in an attempt to function "normally", but they carry their tension just below the surface, not knowing how to solve it. Therapy is culturally stigmatized, and it is thus rare that trauma victims will resort to it. Currently, however, the psychological pressure has gotten to such high levels that many go to psychiatrists despite the stigma. 

The CWWPP has identified specific qualities that people lack in order to address their problems. A few of them are listed below:

·         Lack of personal initiative: People are used to waiting for politicians or the international   

        community to solve their problems. Another part of this lack of initiative is caused by the trauma.

 ·        Denial: People focus on one part of the problem - "If I only had a job, everything would be fine," or

        "Just get me back to my own house. Then things will be ok.” - not realizing that the help they need

        is global in nature.

·         Mourning: People have not given themselves the permission to mourn.

·         Inadequate ability to express feelings: People bottle up their feelings and don't admit them to

        themselves.

·         Lack of communications skills: This refers both to inter-personal and group communication

        skills.

·         Lack of knowledge of non-violent techniques of conflict resolution.

With these handicaps, people in the region who have suffered from trauma may go through the rest of their lives without the resources to solve their problems. For example, the CWWPP describes a scenario where veterans come home and they have no one to talk to about their problems. Either their families do not want to hear their war stories, or the veterans themselves do not want to bother their relatives.

If people talk with each other, it tends not to be therapeutic, but a negative recapitulation of their experiences. It is more usual than not that they will turn to alcohol. Dr. Tauber estimates that at least half of the population of the area has issues with alcohol.

The few qualified doctors in the area are overburdened. Their response to pleas for help from people is generally to prescribe drugs, and there are people who are now taking as many as seven or eight different prescription medicines. However, drugs are not frequently the most appropriate way of treating psychotrauma. Psychological therapy and social reconstruction are necessary.

There are also physical consequences of psychological trauma. These include decreased immunity and thus a higher frequency of illness in general, increased problems with the circulatory system such as higher rates of high blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes, high levels of gastro-intestinal problems such as ulcers and Crohn’s Disease, general problems with sleeping, sexual problems in both men and women, increased rates of endocrine diseases such as thyroid problems and diabetes, problems caused by increased muscle tension such as headaches, back problems and joint problems and even increased rates of cancer.  For more information on the health problems of the region, see our briefing paper.

The CWWPP thus describes its area of work as a "powder keg." The combination of drugs, alcohol, and repressed anger among traumatized people can be lethal. Added to that, many people have weapons in their houses, left over from the war. A small incident, the anniversary of a traumatic event, or a chance argument can, and often does, lead to a tragedy.

Furthermore, there are consequences of trauma for the economics of the area and its redevelopment.  For more information, see the CWWPP’s briefing paper on this subject.

Given this situation, the work of the CWWPP in Eastern Slavonia and the surrounding areas is critical for the healing of traumatized people. This healing is a prerequisite to their reintegration into society. For the CWWPP, therapy and social reintegration go together. In this context, see the section of this website on Complex Rehabilitation.

The CWWPP’s Approach to the Problem

In brief, we do not believe that there is currently a sufficient number of professionals to deal with the situation. Furthermore, as has been mentioned, in these societies, there are taboos against going to psychiatrists and psychologists.  We thus see the best solution in well-trained and well-supervised peer counselors.  Training of such persons takes about one year or more.

We also strongly believe that the healing of the wounds of trauma is a pre-requisite to reconciliation and, as Prof. Adam Curle puts it, a condition for peace. We believe that this is a component of the problem that, until now, has not been integrated into conflict resolution strategies.

Further Information

For more information on our methods of training and our curriculum, see the methodology sections of the proposals in the Documents section of this website.

The CWWPP has also produced a Reader on Trauma and Conflict Resolution. Click here to read it.

The Vukovar Field Office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) produced a Report on Community Trauma in Eastern Croatia in the summer of 2002.  Click here to read it.