Bereavement and Mental Health after Sudden and Violent Losses : A Review

This paper reviews the literature on the psychological consequences of sudden and violent losses, including disaster and military losses. It also reviews risk and resilience factors for grief and mental health and describes the effects and possible benefit of psychosocial interventions. The review shows gaps in the literature on grief and bereavement after sudden and violent deaths. Still, some preliminary conclusions can be made.

'War on our Minds' : War, neutrality and identity in Dutch public debate during the First World War

During the First World War the Netherlands remained neutral. The Dutch did not fight, kill, die or in any way suffer to the extent the belligerents did. The chief problems and questions raised by the First World War accordingly had a comparatively limited impact on Dutch society. The question remains, however, to what extent a neutral country like the Netherlands did experience the First World War. That question is addressed in this article by looking at Dutch public debate on the war during the period 1914GÇô1919.

Protect: Process of Recognition and Orientation of Torture Victims in European Countries to Facilitate Care and Treatment

According to Council Directive 2003/9/EC of January 27th 2003 laying down minimum standards for the reception of asylum seekers, the Member States have to take into account the specific situation of vulnerable persons among other applicants who have been subjected to torture, rape or other serious forms of psychological, physical or sexual violence. This provision shall apply only to applicants recognized as having special needs, after an individual assessment of their situation.

Competitive or multidirectional memory? The interaction between postwar and postcolonial memory in the Netherlands

This article explores the relationship between two cultural memories in the postcolonial Netherlands: of World War II and of the DutchGÇôIndonesian war of decolonization. Through two case studies we analyse what happens when both memories encounter each other in public space. The first case concentrates on the early postwar commemoration practices centred on 4 May, the Dutch Remembrance Day of World War II. We show that the focus on heroes and national unity in the cultural memory of World War II enabled Indies veterans to articulate their own interests.

A parricidal memory: Flanders' memorial universe as product and producer of Belgian history

This article examines how the Belgian patriotic collective memory in Flanders during the 20th century was supplanted by a Flemish Nationalist counter memory. The article starts with a semiotic analysis of some concrete commemorative practices and discourses surrounding the brothers Van Raemdonck, two Flemish soldiers who died during the First World War and were venerated as Flemish heroes. Next, these cases are situated in some larger themes and tendencies dominating the intellectual construction of Flemish National collective memory during the 19th and 20th centuries.

Psychotherapy of Holocaust survivors – group process analysis

Aim. The paper discusses the effectiveness of group psychotherapy addressed to Holocaust survivors.
 

Methods. The paper is based on many years of its authors’ experience in running such psychotherapy groups. Common psychological problems of the group members and the group dynamics are being discussed and illustrated with the example of work in the group.
 

De oorlog als beleving: over de musealisering en enscenering van Holocaust-erfgoed

Wie nog maar enkele jaren geleden de oorlog een beleving had genoemd, had vast en zeker op veel scepsis kunnen rekenen. Dat ligt echter vandaag de dag heel anders. Vrijwel dagelijks worden we via de media op de hoogte gebracht van de acties van ‘onze jongens’ in Irak en Afghanistan. De nationale trots spat van het televisiescherm wanneer het gaat om onze bijdrage in de War on Terror (2001)...

He Has Seen War 2011 (full)

He Has Seen War is a documentary featuring surviving veterans of Easy Company and the 1st Marine Division, whose stories are told in Band of Brothers and The Pacific. From their initial steps at reintegrating into civilian life to the lasting impact the war had on each of their lives, He Has Seen War features veterans and their families relaying their own unique stories. Complemented by renowned historian and author Donald L.

Imperialist Air War. East German academic Research and Memory Politics reflected in the Work of Olaf Groehler

This chapter analyses the work of GDR historians on the air war and the Allied bombing campaign, particularly the work of Olaf Groehler, the leading GDR expert on the air war. The chapter situates Groehler's work within official GDR memory politics and explores Groehler's work as an attempt to distance himself from both the dominant SED narrative as well as West German apologetic tendencies. It argues, however, that Groehler ultimately remained within the parameters of a GDR 'victim discourse' by shifting German responsibility onto 'fascist imperialism', or AngloAmerican imperialism

Can we facilitate posttraumatic growth in combat veterans?

The Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program, currently under development for the U.S. Army, will include a component designed to increase the possibilities for posttraumatic growth in the aftermath of combat. In this article, the author's briefly review studies that provide evidence for this phenomenon in combat veterans, and they suggest elements that such a program might include to facilitate posttraumatic growth. They urge the Army to conduct randomized controlled trials testing the efficacy of the program prior to its implementation.

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