Relates the experiences of refugees and those individuals helping them. The author’s experiences suggest that the word ‘traumatized’ is overused, that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and coping capacities share some similarities, that refugees can be either victims or survivors, and that both the individual being helped and the helper can experience feelings of gratitude as well as envy. The role of the psychosocial worker is to serve as a catalyst for local support networks; that is, to assist those helpers who the refugee can trust. From the author’s own work with refugees in Rwanda and Macedonia-Bosnia comes the following observations: (1) it is impossible to imagine what it is like to be a refugee, to have neither freedom nor security; (2) there is no single solution or outcome for refugees; (3) therapy groups in refugee camps can play an important role in helping children recuperate, but resilience may not be long lasting; (4) the human survival and coping mechanism, when supported, canresult in emotional reintegration, but, if not supported, can lead to pathological grieving, depression, and psychotic breakdown; and (5) psychoanalytically trained professionals, like the author, need to exchange knowledge with other professionals in the field.
