Paper short abstract:

This paper will examine the practice of a psychological therapeutic organization working in northern Uganda, and the problems related to the ‘exportation’ of western psychological concepts and practices to places with different concepts of trauma and healing.

Paper long abstract:

Western psychological therapy is being 'exported' around the world to former conflict zones to the extent of what some scholars have termed an 'empire of trauma' (Fassin & Reichtmann, 2009). Some scholars view this as having a great healing potential for individuals and communities (Verena et al., 2011; Tol et al., 2011; Neuner et al., 2004), yet much criticism of these practices has also been raised (McHugh & Treisman, 2007; Summerfield, 1999; Bracken, 1998; 2003). After generations of war and armed conflict in northern Uganda the region is now at peace, and also here psychological therapeutic organizations are becoming present.

In this paper, I will present my empirical work on one such psychological research and therapeutic organization working in northern Uganda. Through an analysis based on the practical use of language and on the contextual setting of the psychological therapy, I will discuss problematic issues involved in this therapeutic practice.

My claim is, that one potential problem of exporting psychological therapy around the world concerns the different ideas of what constitutes a psychological phenomenon and to what extent suffering, e.g. psychological trauma, is a moral phenomenon (Whyte, 1997). In the Acholi region in northern Uganda conditions coined as 'trauma' or 'PTSD' will often be understood as cen, a haunting by the spirits of the vengeful dead. This idea is highly moral and calls for moral dialogue and repercussion. I will examine how these different meaning systems correspond to each other and what happens when they engage in dialogue.