Traumatic stress and trauma counselling : some post-tsunami reflections from a Buddhist perspective
Item and associated files
Author
De Silva, Padmal See all items with this value
Date
2006
Volume
7
Pages
379-395
ISSN
1530-4108 See all items with this value
Abstract
This paper discusses the psychological aspects of traumatic experiences and how traumatized individuals are helped with therapy/counselling. The conventional approach to understanding trauma reactions is summarized. The issue of the relevance of culture, including religion, is considered. The paper then focuses on the tsunami disaster, which occurred in South East and South Asia in December 2004. This event left thousands of people highly traumatized, and many were also bereaved. The paper describes the nature of the psychological reactions of the tsunami survivors in Sri Lanka. A trauma counselling training programme that has been undertaken is also briefly described. In the final part of the paper, the relevance of Buddhist ideas and practices to this field is considered.