Inger Agger

Testimony as ritual and evidence in psychotherapy for political refugees

Testimony as a ritual both of healing and of condemnation of injustice would seem to be a universal phenomenon. The concept of testimony contains both connotations of something subjective or private, and of something objective, judicial, or political. When political refugees give testimony to the torture to which they have been subjected, the trauma story can be given a meaning, can be reframed: private pain is transformed into political dignity. In the context of testimony, shame, and guilt connected with the trauma can be confessed by the victim and reframed. In the transcultural meeting between the political refugee and the Western therapist, the common goal of creating evidence against repression becomes both a meeting place and a joint point of departure. The testimony method is demonstrated by two case histories.

Sexual torture of political prisoners: An overview

Not much is known about the repressive use of sexuality against political prisoners. It is important to gain a better understanding of the trauma involved in sexual torture for treatment purposes. On the basis of clinical experience with refugees from the Middle East, North Africa, and Latin America, and the collection of mainly unpublished material on the subject, a theory of the psychodynamics of sexual torture is proposed. It is claimed that this method of torture is especially traumatic, as it is characterized by a confusing and complex ambiguity containing both libidinal and aggressive components, against which the victim has difficulty maintaining a psychological defense. Hence, his or her core identity processes are threatened. Aspects of transcultural treatment are discussed, and it is stressed that there must be a reframing of the trauma story so as not to repeat the psychological pain of the torture and aggravate symptoms. The Testimony-Method is introduced as an important tool for reframing. If the refugee presents sexual symptoms, sexological treatment interventions are recommended.

Couples in Exile: Political consciousness as an element in the psychosexual dynamics of a Latin American refugee couple

Abstract Estimates show that a large number of Latin American refugees are divorced in exile. Presumably, the family system has difficulty adapting to the sudden change in its ecology. Both the social and personal creative identity are threatened in exile, and therapeutic help must therefore be offered both at the individual and social level. One important tool for the couples survival is the consciousness of why they are in exile In this case-study of a Latin American couple with psychosexual problems, we seek to reframe their ‘private pain’ in a political context. Both the individual, and the joint, collective trauma they have suffered are seen in the context of their individual resources and their resources for interaction with others for a common goal: their collective resources. It is apparent, in the dynamics of this couple, that the wife needs to strengthen her collective resources, which for her means becoming involved in political and social activities of the exile group We find that the concept...

Det terapeutiske vidnesbyrd

Agger, I. (1988). The therapeutic testimony. A political prisoner from El Salvador gives testimony: Testimony as a trans-cultural therapeutic method. Nordisk Psykologi, 40, 93–105. From ancient times across the world men and women have told each other about their pain. They have given testimony about the injustice. In the womens liberation movement and in the underground movement in Chile today giving testimony has been employed systematically. The person who is told about the injustice can choose to become a witness. In the therapeutic treatment of political refugees who have suffered severe traumata, the therapist can take the position of witness, asking the refugee if he or she wants to give testimony. In this way, the traumatic experience can be re-framed and the testimony can be used as a tool in the struggle against injustice. By letting the world know about the suffering it can be re-framed from »private« to »political« pain. The therapists position is discussed—especially the necessity of taking...

Traume, møde og mening

Agger, I. & Jensen, S.B. (1989). Trauma, meeting and meaning—significant concepts in transcultural psychotherapy for political refugees. Nordisk Psykologi, 41, 177–192. Organized violence poses Western clinicians with fundamental questions concerning the problem of meaning. The number of political refugees in Western countries, although relatively few on a world-wide scale, have forced clinicians to confront one of the manifestations of organized violence: The trauma of torture. In torture, feelings of panic anxiety and deep shame are elicited in the victim, who thus privatizes an act which in its origin is social and political. Symptoms following this trauma can, although with reservations, be understood in the context of Traumatic Stress Theory and treated in accordance with principles in Post-Traumatic Therapy (PTT). In the meeting between the Western clinician and the political refugee many clinicians have explained their personal counter- transference reactions to the horror of torture, and the socia...

Behandling af traumatiserede flygtninge med følger efter seksuel tortur: Et biopsykosocialt perspektiv

Many of the political refugees who have arrived in Denmark during the past decade have psychosomatic symptoms related to experiences of sexual torture during imprisonment. On the basis of clinical experience from treatment of traumatized refugees, the authors suggest a biopsychosocial approach to symptoms. This implies that therapists respect the symptoms presented by the refugees as a prerequisite for establishing contact and alliance, wherein also the ideology of both therapist and refugee plays an important part. In this context a re-framing of the symptoms can begin. It is demonstrated how sexual torture can affect the refugee by creating strong feelings of guilt and shame, which implies that the prisoner has experienced the torture as an individual act of humiliation. In the refraining of these traumatic experiences the ideologic consciousness of the refugee is an important element enabling the therapist to establish a frame of reference in which the sexual torture can be seen as a political weapon a...