[shivayoga] Khmer Rouge: Cambodia/Cultural sensitivity

Mckenzie-Pollock, Lorna (2005). Cambodian Families. In McGoldrick, M.
J., &

Pearce, J., (Eds.). Ethnicity and Family Therapy, 3rd ed., pp.290-301.

Khmer Rouge, 1975: In the year I was born, Pol Pot took control.

A sacred place, a wheel of royal power- it is Preahreachanachâk
Kampuchea. You may know it as Cambodia. Full of peaceful people of
Theravada Buddhist lineage, Kampuchea plunged into political and
social turmoil. What I did not see were the Khmer people, the
Cambodian people. What I did not witness was the genocide.

I did not see the atrocities emerge in year Zero. I did not watch was
the hand inspections, the inspection of hands that would illustrate
the difference between professional and laborer. I did not watch,
with their loved ones, the teachers and doctors being executed. I
stayed warm, swaddled in blanket, close to my mother's breast
instead.

I was born in year Zero.

And thirty-one years later, I am looking back at the painful birth of
the Cambodian people. Thirty-one years later, I witness the anguish
and torture of their traumatic birth.

Khmer Rouge, 1977

At the age of two, I clung to my big sister's leg, waiting for her to
lift me up onto the counter to make a special dinner in the sink with
all the condiments we could muster, a special dinner for my dad. This
occurred while this two-year old nation tried to grasp the hundreds
of years of age, of history, of lineage, that they lost almost over
night, or--in the blink of Brahma's eye.

The Guatama was born a Hindu, and he died a Hindu. What emerged from
The Guatama's forged path was Buddhism. The Cambodians were born
Cambodians, and they died Cambodians. From their forged path as a
people, continued hopes and dreams for their future emerge.

Mirrored in the legendary symbolism of Banyan Tree are the rich
symbolism of immortality and the true meaning of life. This sentiment
the Cambodian people illustrate so well by their continued efforts
towards a restored Cambodia. Though confronted with corruption,
political unrest, poverty and the likes, the heart of the Cambodian
people continues to beat on, illustrating the resilience of humanity.

At thirty-one years of age, only having the experience of having to
seek refuge from myself and my own stupid mistakes, I cannot imagine
having to seek refuge from an ethnic cleansing, the traumas of war,
deplorable living conditions, the corpses of my loved one's bodies
laying on top of me, or any of the other atrocities inflicted upon
the average Cambodian citizen of the Pol Pot reign.

But, as a social worker- I simply must know that, "direct questioning
can trigger traumatic memories [from] the Pol Pot period, when people
were subject to interrogation as a part of 're-education' and were
often tortured and killed in if they gave the wrong answers" when I
am in a therapeutic setting with a client of Cambodian descent in
order to prevent further psychological infliction of trauma.

WOW is all I can say to that. In general, I feel everyday interaction
is so blatantly unaware of the multiplicity of influences that may
affect a single individuals actions, or inactions for that matter.
Should we do absolutely anything other than stand completely non-
judgmentally before any other human being considering that we cannot
possibly have any idea of what could be influencing them? I think we
should certainly give it our best efforts.

~D.Cranmer

I wrote the above written blog on the Mckenzie-Pollock article,
moments after reading it. I felt unable to be objective enough to
write a scholarly response without first delving further into my
feelings on the materials I had just read. After further
consideration, I decided to include it in my summary brief because I
think it illustrates part of the sentiment of the article where the
authors had conveyed their own shock and disbelief resultant from
their emotional responses to actually sitting with Cambodian clients.
The authors suggested that they experienced the sessions
as "disturbing and exhausting" (294). They also noted an increase of
empathy through the sharing of the clients' unique experiences in the
therapeutic sessions. I think that what the social worker may
experience while conducting sessions with special population such as
refugees is a very serious topic to address considering the
psychological impact of what might come from counseling a client who
has quite possibly survived bewildering atrocities.

The authors suggest many wonderful considerations when dealing with
Cambodian clients. The history and culture of the Khmer people, as
well as the demographics of their relocations as refugees need to be
acknowledged initially. The family structure, the religious
affiliations, and the issues of trauma and loss, are also
considerations that the authors feel warrant close examination.
Intergenerational conflict, trust, community-wide healing, and the
mind-body connection are implied as culturally sensitive issues that
also need conscious attention. The authors provide a treatment model
that they have learned to be most effective in their years of
practice with Cambodian clients. The treatment model is for the
American professional who treats the Cambodian client with the use of
a translator. It also provides a scenario for if there is a
Professional with the same ethnicity, if one is available. I thought
the tips for dealing with a translator were very easily generalized
to any bi-lingual situation. I also thought they were fundamental
aspects to be considered. The Client-Translator-Professional model
imparts a triangular approach, which automatically makes me think to
watch for any triangulation. Though it is not the typical
triangulation model, I would imagine the same principle applies when
you have three individuals where there can be raised emotions. The
translator can affect the bond that might develop between Client-
Professional either positively or negatively. Obviously, it is in the
best interest for all if it is in a positive way.