Citation

Mighetto I. Eur. J. Psychother. Counsell. 2022; 24(3): 315-338.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/13642537.2022.2072926

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Torture and exile shatter a person's sense of self, their trust in others, and produce isolation and an array of post-traumatic sequelae. This article explores the experiences of therapists working with torture survivors at a London-based charity. It explores what, for them, constitutes the process of bearing witness to narratives of trauma in therapeutic encounters. An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was employed, using semi-structured interviews. Analysis was underpinned by intersubjectivity and psychoanalytic social theory. The findings illuminate the significance of engaging in affective relationships of political solidarity and validation against the backdrop of the structural disavowal of the 'hostile environment' in the UK context. Witnessing was described as the interplay of 'staying with' people's trauma without attempting to 'fix' or pathologize. Participants described witnessing multi-dimensional aspects of a person. The article concludes by discussing the implications of witnessing for therapists working with survivors of torture.

Language: en

Keywords

Community psychology; Flüchtlinge und Asylsuchende; Folterüberlebende; Gemeinschaftspsychologie; Intersoggettività; Intersubjectivity; Intersubjektivität; Intersubjetividad; Psicología Comunitaria; Psicologia di comunità; Refugees and Asylum-Seekers; Refugiados y Solicitantes de Asilo; Rifugiati e richiedenti asilo; Sobrevivientes de Tortura; Sopravvissuti alla tortura; Testigo; Testimonianza; Torture Survivors; Witnessing; Zeugenschaft; Δϊυποκειμενικότητα; Κοινοτική Ψυχολογία; Μαρτυρία, Επιζώντες Βασανιστηρίων; Πρόσφυγες και Αιτούντες Άσυλο