Abstract of "At the Side of Torture Survivors: Treating a Terrible Assault on Human Dignity" by S. Graessner editor

Survivors of torture and other human-rights violations from the former Yugoslavia, Turkey, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and other regions require medical, social, and psychotherapeutic assistance. Unfortunately, torture survivors often meet with silence and disbelief from others' profound unwillingness to confront the reality of their suffering. The very nature of torture, which destroys the dignity and well-being of its victims, often makes survivors themselves doubt this reality: as a result, they feel completely alone and may no longer believe in the possibility of human communication.

Available for the first time in English, At the Side of Torture Survivors provides an intimate portrait of the difficulties facing torture survivors and the therapists who strive to help them. Written by specialists at the Berlin Center for the Treatment of Torture Victims, the book covers topics ranging from physical rehabilitation to advocacy for those seeking asylum and justice. The authors describe traumatic aftereffects of torture such as memory loss, nightmares, and psychosomatic disorders, and outline therapeutic treatments such as dream therapy and storytelling. Throughout, the authors document their work without hiding the limits and failures that often accompany it. They tell of the difficulty of diagnosing torture symptoms, discuss the problems impeding therapeutically effective contact with torture victims, and reflect on the burdens faced by therapists themselves.