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.