becker discussion

Under the shade of the fake plastic shrubbery at Second Cup, seven students met for double long espressos and a discussion of institutional terror and social reparation in Chile. In today's article, Therapy with Victims of Political Repression in Chile, Becker and colleagues at the Latin American Institute of Mental Health in Human Rights in Santiago call on mental health workers to take a new approach toward victims traumatized by political violence, arguing for a committed, non-neutral attitude toward their clients' suffering.

The group debated the relationship between healing and remembering, noting - on the one hand - Chile's successful reconciliation commissions - and on the other - that rehashing traumas can reinforce rifts between societal groups, and that complete repression can even correlate with healthier functioning on the individual level. One participant wondered whether psychologists might make unwarranted assumptions about the issues that trauma victims are wanting or ready to discuss. When social norms have been perverted by the State, what norms do people find most useful to return to in the short term? The psychology and IDS majors agreed that a return to normalcy involves addressing both psychic and physical needs - but we remain curious as to which elements field workers tackle first.