Ghosts+as+coping+mechanisms+Cultural+Psychology+in+Southeast+Asia

=**Ghosts as coping mechanisms: Cultural Psychology in Southeast Asia**=
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 * Children seeing ghosts - Responses to trauma in Childhood**

Traumatic childhood experiences produce an array of symptoms, and particular developmental concerns result from seemingly innocuous stories, practices and beliefs instilled into a child. Common symptoms such as bedwetting, situational anxiety, and behavioral struggles may indicate a deeper issue seeded in incidents explained in terms of supernatural phenomena. Paranormal science has failed to produce reliable evidence confirming any truth in children’s ghost-related experiences but popular culture utilizes fictional creatures to fulfill a more concrete purpose, such as the ‘boogeymen’ representing the actual danger of interacting with strangers. Recovery from traumatic childhood experiences hinges on the development of self-concept, and the limitations or possibilities of ability and achievement in a child’s current and future self. Negative ghost-related experiences in childhood tend to share a common theme of helplessness for the victim; children emphasize their inability to have an effect on the outcome during a traumatic experience. Treatment for children recovering from psychological trauma, such as those who grew up in war-torn Vietnam, should emphasize the power that the child holds through their belief. Children show their greatest psychological recovery when experiencing empowerment, developing a sense of control over their emotions. Frequently, physical objects such as shrines and dolls aid in processing emotion. Totems such as these house benevolent and malicious spirits, which provide structure and character to otherwise unstable and harmful emotions. Stories also create an opportunity for a child to self-regulate their emotional state, aiding in recovery towards a secure sense of self.
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 * A still from Tobe Hooper's 1982 horror classic, Poltergeist. A girl points to a blank television screen, indicating a supernatural presence. ||


 * Possession and PTSD - Response to trauma in adulthood and young adulthood**

A similar loss of control can often manifest in adults with unresolved trauma, commonly diagnosed medically as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PTSD commonly involves intense flashbacks when repressed trauma manifests in consciousness, which can trigger possibly violent reactions and uncontrollable outbursts. The stigma and public sentiment regarding the idea of possession or trance has fluctuated from total disapproval towards a tacit level of understanding in recent years. Traditional Vietnamese customs often incorporate rituals meant to invoke a trance state that overwhelms the conscious self, which has the ability to trigger possibly harmful results in the context of recovery from severe psychological trauma. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and other treatments focused on strengthening an individual’s control on their emotional states have shown progress in stabilizing a patient’s daily life. Symptoms such as loss of time, frenzied outbursts, and unpredictable mood swings frequently occur for both victims of PTSD and possession. media type="youtube" key="PdTx6zLY0Zk" height="384" width="683" align="center"

Related: Death Anxiety Psychological Effects of a Terminal Diagnosis References

Vietnam War: The Face of the Enemy (Vietnamese Perspective). @https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdTx6zLY0Zk&feature=youtu.be

Leenarts, Laura E. W., and Diehle, Julia, and Doreleijers, Theo A. H., and Jansma, Elise P., and Ramón J. L. Lindauer. “Evidence-based treatment for children with trauma-related psychopathology as a result of childhood maltreatment: a systematic review.” European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 22 (2013) : 269-283. Web. 13 July 2016. Baron, Ian, and Ghassan Abdullah. “Evaluation of a Group-based Trauma Recovery Program in Gaza: Student’s Subjective Experiences.” Journal of Loss and Trauma 17 (2012) : 187-199. Web. 13 July 2016. Armour, Cherie, and Karstoft, Karen-Inge, and J. Don Richardson. “The co-occurrence of PTSD and dissociation: differentiating severe PTSD from dissociative-PTSD.” Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 49 (2014) : 1297-1306. Web. 13 July 2016. Bräunline, Peter J. “Spirits in and of Southeast Asia’s Modernity: An Overview.” DORISEA Working Paper 1.1 (2013) : 7-9. Web. 13 July 2016. Brown, Elissa J, and Komal Sharma-Patel. “Emotion Regulation and Self Blame as Mediators and Moderators of Trauma-Specific Treatment.” Psychology of Violence 6.3 (2016) : 400-409. Web. 13 July 2016. Poltergeist 1982 Tobe Hooper