What Is Collective Trauma? Check Out Understanding And Examples

Illustration (Pixabay/HallenManuel)

YOGYAKARTA The looting of several houses of members of the DPR at the end of last week triggered collective trauma in some community groups. This incident reminded of incidents in the past where there was looting and burning of buildings in the midst of the 1998 riots. So, what is collective trauma?

Quoted from the Khiron Clinics page, collective trauma is a psychological and emotional wound caused by a traumatic experience shared by a group. This can involve small groups, such as families, or affect the community and society as a whole.

Collective trauma can have a significant impact, causing various emotional, psychological, and social problems.

The effects of collective trauma can also last for a long time and can even be passed on across generations. The impacts include feelings of helplessness, despair, guilt, sadness, and increased levels of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD).

However, communities and individuals can also build resilience and find ways to deal with and recover from the experience through a network of support, counseling, and other forms of intervention.

Incidents that cause very diverse collective trauma, ranging from cross-generation events such as slavery to single events such as family house fires.

Some examples of events that can lead to collective trauma include:

Natural Bencama such as earthquakes, storms, floods, and forest fires can cause trauma to those who are directly affected or who witnessed the impact.

Terrorism acts such as the September 11 attacks on the United States, the 2005 London bombings, and the 2002 Bali bombings were traumatizing for those experiencing it directly or through media coverage.

Armed conflict such as the Vietnam War, World War I and II, as well as the ongoing conflict in the Middle East could cause trauma to soldiers, civilians, and the entire community.

Incidents such as the Holocaust, Rwanda genocide, and the massacre of Srebrenica caused trauma to the entire community and left deep psychological wounds. Holocaust trauma, for example, is still felt by the descendants of the detained and murdered victims.

Outbreaks of infectious diseases such as COVID-19, SARS, and HIV have caused trauma to individuals and communities as a whole due to fear and uncertainty, as well as social, psychological, and economic impacts. The AIDS epidemic, especially in the 1980s and 1990s, caused deep fear and trauma for LGBTQ+ individuals, which lasted decades. Meanwhile, the isolation experienced by many during the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the level of loneliness, mental health problems, and alcohol consumption.

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