Balinese need time to recover from trauma

Balinese need time to recover from trauma

I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Kuta, Bali

Dewa Darnesta has not been able to sleep well since that terrible
night of Oct. 12, when a powerful explosion destroyed the crowded
Sari Club on Jl. Legian in Kuta.

In fact, he had four sleepless nights after the explosion.

"An extreme feeling of fear overpowered me for days after the
blast. Sometimes, I still can hear the deafening explosion and
see the fearful sight of wounded victims screaming for help and
frantically trying to escape the fire. It really tortures me," he
said.

The experience was so haunting that a week after the blast
Dewa still could not muster the courage to sleep alone in his
house, which was located just some 50 meters from the blast site.
He and nine members of his family have slept together in one room
since the explosion.

Dewa is among some 120 locals displaying symptoms of Post-
Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), according to a recent survey
conducted by Udayana University's School of Medicine in Denpasar.

To gather information, some 150 medical students distributed
questionnaires and interviewed over 300 locals who live near the
blast site.

The results were analyzed by post-graduate psychiatry
students.

"The initial results show that 40 percent of the respondents
have had some PTSD symptoms. We believe the actual number is
larger since we have not been able to interview all the affected
locals. Some live in the area earmarked as 'restricted', some
have not returned to their homes since they fled on that terrible
night and some refused to be interviewed," said the survey's
coordinator, Dr. Luh Ketut Suryani.

PTSD is generally characterized by sleep disorder, anxiety,
extreme fear, mental fatigue and recurrent "flashbacks" of the
traumatic incident. An acute case of PTSD may impair one's
ability to comprehend reality and to establish relationships with
others.

Suryani, one of Bali's most distinguished psychiatrists, has
urged the local administration to pay serious attention to the
physical and mental health of affected locals.

"The explosion was so powerful it may have caused hearing
problems for the locals living in the immediate neighborhood.
Moreover, the devastation it caused, including more than 100
mutilated bodies, will inflict a deep trauma on the locals," she
stressed.

Led by the medical school's deputy dean, Wirakusuma, some 30
ear, nose and throat specialists, and 30 psychiatrists have
established two free medical service posts in Kuta.

Suryani has spearheaded the efforts to provide care for
locals. She has treated at least 19 locals and provided mass-
therapy for some 30 members of Kuta's civilian guard.

Combining the western psychiatric method of regressive
hypnosis and her own psycho-social spirit meditation, Suryani
guided these people during their journey back to the fateful
night of Oct. 12.

"Basically, I hypnotized them, asked them to mentally go back
to that night, motivated them to overcome their fear, anger or
grief, and then had them release their emotional burdens by
screaming or crying. After that I led them through various steps
of relaxation meditation to revitalize their energy," Suryani
said.

"The common problem is that for all their lives the Balinese
have been taught to harness their emotions. So sometimes it's
very difficult to teach them to release their emotions. Moreover,
it also prevents some people who are suffering from PTSD to
openly express their trauma," she said.

During the therapy some of the participants cried and some
screamed uncontrollably. In the end, most of them said they felt
relieved and "lighter" after the therapy.

"I fell sound asleep during the meditation and woke up much
fresher and stronger than before. It's good. I am not afraid
anymore," the head of Kuta district, Subawa, said.