Walking together: Healing and hope for Colombian refugees

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w a l k i n g t o g e t h e r 59 EFFECTS OF REFUGEE TRAUMA ON THE INDIVIDUAL The charts on pages 59 and 60 summarize some common effects of torture and war trauma. They are written in lay language, so they can be given to or discussed with refugees themselves. The charts on pages 61 and 62 categorize common refugee concerns that pose many challenges in recovering from trauma. Appendix #3 contains a complementary chart on common responses to trauma that you may also find useful. COMMON EFFECTS OF WAR AND TRAUMA Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Nightmares Bad thoughts or memories of the war come into your mind when you don’t want them to Acting or feeling like the war is happening all over again (e.g., flashbacks) Feeling very upset when something reminds you of the war or torture Trying to forget the war or torture, trying not to think about it Staying away from anything that reminds you of the war or torture Can’t remember important things that happened during the war Depression Feeling sad or angry a lot Difficulty thinking or making decisions Difficulty concentrating or remembering Feeling worthless or hopeless Feeling guilty a lot Feeling that you don’t care about life, that you are not interested in things Feeling too hungry or not hungry at all, gaining or losing a lot of weight without trying to Sleeping too much or too little Feeling tired a lot, not having energy Thinking about death a lot, thinking about killing yourself Internally displaced Colombians share how trauma affects their daily lives. These kinds of fears will come with refugees when they begin life in Canada: “Taking the bus is a trauma.” - Edwin (he witnessed his father’s murder on a bus.) “I feel nervous when I walk on the street.” - Ricardo “The bad things about memories: sadness, helplessness, anger.” - Ana Common Effects of War and Trauma chart courtesy of the Center for Victims of Torture, 649 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104, www.cvt.org © Center for Victims of Torture
60 w a l k i n g t o g e t h e r COMMON EFFECTS OF WAR AND TRAUMA Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Feeling like you don’t care about life or what happens to you Feeling numb, like there are no feelings inside you Feeling like you have no future or that you may die sooner than most people Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep at night Feeling angry a lot, easily upset Difficulty concentrating Can’t relax or feel comfortable, often afraid something bad will happen Physical Symptoms Headaches Feeling dizzy, faint or weak Chest pain Heart beats very fast Stomach hurts or feeling sick in the stomach Shaking or trembling Hands or feet feel cold Hot or burning feelings Numb or tingling sensations Sweating Diffuse or generalized sense of pain, weakness, misery Other pains in the body. “As a woman you are are more sensitive. Things affect you more. Things you remember from the life you had...you see families, and you see yourself alone...You remember your material possessions, the house, the things you had, the moment in which you had to flee. Each time I hear a cell phone I think it is someone calling to threaten me. I remember when they tied him up and I couldn’t do anything. Memories revive fears.” - Luz “I had a nervous tic that lasted for a week. I was at the verge of taking my life. I had nightmares of persecution and death. Discouragement. I haven’t been able to get over the emotional pain, it’s still there.” - Jesus “When I see someone who want’s to harm my family, I become aggressive.” - Luis “My back hurts when I have to leave the house. Seven hours of back pain.” - Julio “Because you can’t trust anyone, you act aloof, causing others not to trust you either.” - Hernando Common Effects of War and Trauma chart courtesy of the Center for Victims of Torture, 649 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104, www.cvt.org © Center for Victims of Torture
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