Mass Trauma and Emotional Healing around the World

Book excerpt: A remarkable team of expert authors provide firsthand accounts from survivors of disasters around the globe, helping readers to understand the impact of trauma as well as interventions to heal. Around the world, scores of those who survive disasters have demonstrated a remarkable resilience that enables them to live happy, productive lives. Mass Trauma and Emotional Healing around the World: Rituals and Practices for Resilience and Meaning-Making documents the unique yet universal reaction to traumatic events and sets the agenda for future development of therapeutic interventions research and theory. An integrative approach to rituals and healing methods is highlighted to address and help prevent human-made traumas and prepare generations to cope with natural disasters in a more effective way. Chapters focus on rituals and practices for resilience after mass trauma, showing, among other findings, that storytelling, music, humor, and a belief in fate help people survive disasters worldwide.