Mennonite
Central
Committee

Healing the trauma of violence amid unrest in Nepal

Marla Pierson Lester
March 30, 2006

Tensions are running high in Nepal, with a decade-old Maoist insurgency battling government officials for control of the South Asian nation. Violence has risen since a ceasefire ended in January.

In February, only weeks after violent attacks, including one in Tansen, a town in western Nepal, MCC sent psychotherapist Carolyn Heggen to conduct trauma healing trainings for health workers, pastors, community leaders and staff for United Mission to Nepal (UMN).

Anxious to learn how to help their community

"The people were so anxious to learn. They were desperate for some skills to deal with the trauma in themselves and to know how to help their community," said Heggen, who was with MCC in Nepal from 2002 to 2004 and now lives in Corvallis, Ore.

Tansen has been the site of a UMN hospital for more than 50 years. Participants in the trainings told Heggen that they could hear shooting in the city from 10:30 p.m. one night until 6 a.m. the next day.

Under the bed praying

One father described how he spent the night under the bed with his wife and two young sons, praying and singing hymns to calm themselves. They stepped out of the house only to see three corpses. How, he and others wanted to know, do you appropriately talk to children about death and violence?

Church leaders, UMN staff, missionary workers and partners were also witnesses to violence in Pokhara, a tourist center in West Nepal where many visitors begin treks to the Annapurna Sanctuary. Bombs targeting the Army exploded in the main bazaar area, killing some civilians and injuring many. There was gunfire around the lake and resort area where many tourists stay.

Explaining effects of trauma

Part of Heggen's role was to explain some of the possible and normal effects of trauma and help participants to recognize these signs in themselves or in the people they encounter.

After a traumatic event, some people have trouble sleeping. Some experience chills or shaking. They may twitch their lips or grind their teeth. Many people understand fear or emotional distress follow a traumatic event. However, it is critical that people know these physical symptoms can also be normal responses to violence or trauma.

Retelling stories to highlight courage

Sometimes, the stories people tell about trauma can continue to undermine their healing and take away their sense of power and hope. An important component of healing trauma lies in transforming their story of what has happened.

Heggen shared stories of trauma and had participants work at retelling them in ways that highlight courage and build hope. "It is important to listen carefully as people tell their stories and help them make the shift from toxic versions that keep them powerless, to stories that heal and empower them to move on with their lives," Heggen said.

Heggen also had participants identify the losses they had experienced because of the violence in Nepal. In addition to losing loved ones and belongings, people said they had also lost hope for the future and trust.

"This war has gone on for so long that many don't have hope it can be any different," Heggen said. Others said they didn't know who is on which side and therefore had trouble trusting anyone.

What's it going to take for things to get better?

"I would ask people, 'Where is the hope?' or 'What's it going to take for things to get better?' They'd just look at me and say, 'I don't know,'" Heggen remembers.

In this context, though, compassionate listening and helping people turn stories of pain into stories of hope can become a powerful tool.

"It's something they can do. It's a little thing. They probably can't change the political system of Nepal or stop the Maoist revolution. At least now, they seem to feel they have something they can do to deal with the people who have suffered so much," Heggen said.

 

Marla Pierson Lester is a writer for MCC.