Local responses to trauma: Symptom, affect, and healing

Abstract

This article provides an introduction to the thematic issue of Transcultural Psychiatry on local responses to trauma. To illustrate how local responses to trauma may be therapeutic, we consider the multiple dimensions or domains that may be targeted by healing rituals and interventions. We then outline a theoretical model of the generation of trauma-related symptoms and distress. We present the multiplex model of symptom generation which posits multiple cognitive, social, and physiological mechanisms by which various triggers can lead to severe distress among trauma victims in acute episodes, and which may be targeted in treatment. More persistent forms of distress can be explained in terms of the effects of persistent mood states and associated modes of cognitive processing and behavior that render individuals vulnerable to chronic symptoms and acute exacerbations. The beneficial effects of healing rituals and interventions may occur, in part, by inducing positive affective states associated with a flexible mind-set. We conclude by summarizing some of the contributions of the papers in this issue to understanding local therapeutic processes of healing.