Traumatic memories are prone to haunt lives of those who tend to survive horrendous events such as the Genocide.  The time it takes for these wounds to heal depends on so many factors. With help and counselling, some heal, whereas others unfortunately battle with this trauma for the rest of their lives.

Magnus Gasana, a psychotherapist at University Teaching Hospital, says trauma is often as a result of a devastating amount of pain that exceeds one’s ability to cope.

When this happens, it affects the brain, one’s thinking, behaviour and emotions. When a victim recalls these events, the pain is as strong as it was when the events happened, Gasana says.

Counsellor Nsoro Kibogora says the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi was so horrifying that it left behind massive effects that survivors are still battling to date.

Issues ranging from orphaned children, widowed wives and numerous illnesses such as post-traumatic stress and disorder are some of the problems that survivors are still battling with.

"PTSD is still a public health challenge worldwide, when you look at this issue from both sides of the coin you can even see that even perpetrators of the Genocide have also been negatively affected by this. This happens when for instance they are escaping Genocide charges or when they end up in prison after being convicted,” Kibogora says.

Effects

The counsellor notes that many children who have experienced this tragedy are not mentally stable because growing up as an orphan itself is miserable, since in most cases you grow up lacking proper parental guidance.

For most children who lost their loved ones during the Genocide including their parents, they end up living with other families or living by themselves at a very tender age. Living with guardians or adopted parents, chances are you may end up being physically abused and as a result some kids who are less resilient end up developing mental illness, Kibogora notes.

Gasana points out that harbouring traumatic memories and emotions can actually cause illnesses such as ulcers, liver and heart diseases among other illnesses.

Moreover parents (mothers) are likely to transfer trauma along with its effects to the children they birth.

Healing from trauma

First and foremost survivors should seek counselling services, according to Gasana.

He notes that there should be more platforms where survivors can share their experiences as this helps them too in healing.

"The government also has a role to play, they should avail more medical experts who can help with providing counselling services.”

Kibogora also notes that seeking professional counselling could be the best way forward for Genocide survivors rather than seeking services from for instance traditional doctors and religious leaders, because trauma is a problem that requires scientific approaches to tackle it and not mere assumptions.

"My other recommendation for some victims of PTSDs or other traumatic tragedies is exploring mindfulness, Yoga, meditation and breath body. These are practical approaches which work and have been proven scientifically.

editor@newtimesrwanda.com